An individual Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, that lacks all pigment was recently photographed by Australian biologists near Granholm Hut in Antarctica. Penguins and other birds that lack pigmentation are referred to as "leucistic" by ornithologists. These abnormal white birds rarely survive until adulthood because they attract predators and may not be able to find a mate. Amazingly and against all odds, the penguin that was photographed is an adult.
Image: Brett Jarrett (Mawsons Hut Foundation)
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Wow -- A Tuxedo-less Penguin!
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