Scientists working at a research base in Chilean Antarctica spotted one penguin sticking out from all the rest. With its rare all-white body, nearly devoid of color from head to toe, this type of bird is rarely found in the penguin world.
Found near the González Videla Base in Antarctica, the reason for this particular bird’s highly unusual quirk of nature is a genetic condition known as leucism, a form of partial albinism.
However, while albino animals lack any pigment at all, leucistic animals do produce some pigment, or melanin, in their plumage or fur; it just isn’t distributed to all body parts. Unlike albinos, leucistic animals keep their regular eye color.
Veterinarian Dr. Diego Penaloza told Reuters that such cases are seen across different species—even giraffes. Being all white, however, comes with a major disadvantage.
“In this case, being an animal that has a mostly white body, it can make it easier for a predator to hunt it and that is why cases of leucism are also very rare, because in addition to being recessive genes that are rarely seen, they are also animals that are very exposed, in the case of penguins, to being eaten more easily by a predator,” Dr. Penaloza said.
Recorded on Jan. 4, the discovery of the snow-white penguin came as a surprise to those living and working at the base. But, says Chilean army cook and photographer Alejandro Harros Guerra, every day brings something special at the base.
“Here at Gabriel Gonzalez Videla we are 14 people who live in the middle of a colony of gentoo penguins, there are hundreds of them, it’s incredible,” Mr. Guerra told Reuters. “Every day there is something different to see, every day Antarctica and this beautiful place surprise us with something different.”
Reassuringly, anyone concerned about the “odd-one-out” birds being shunned by other “regular” penguins need not worry: scientists say they haven’t seen evidence of leucistic birds being rejected by their peers.
