This uncommon gentoo penguin has exceptionally darkish plumage
Rocio Nigro, Anahi M. Silvestro, Mariana Juares and Pamela Di Marco
A gentoo penguin with unusually darkish plumage has been noticed in Antarctica. The chook is just the second gentoo penguin ever to be documented with melanism, a situation that causes the overproduction of darkish pigments in birds’ pores and skin and feathers.
Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua), which reside on the rocky islands surrounding Antarctica, sometimes have pale bellies and darker backs that camouflage them in opposition to predators whereas swimming. However in December 2022, researchers learning the species discovered and photographed an grownup chook with strikingly …