Wildlife Photographer Accidentally Runs Into Extremely Rare Yellow Penguin And Can't Believe His Luck
Wildlife photography usually rewards patience, but sometimes it hands over a once-in-a-lifetime surprise instead. That is exactly what happened when Belgian photographer Yves Adams came across a rare yellow-white penguin during a South Atlantic expedition.
Adams was on a two-month photo tour with his team near South Georgia, where they stopped by a king penguin colony of about 120,000 birds. While unloading gear on Salisbury Plain, he spotted one penguin that looked completely different from the rest, and the sight stopped him in his tracks.
The bird's unusual color turned out to be tied to leucism, and the photos quickly drew attention online. Read on.
Did you know that penguins also come in yellow-white?
Not only were they fortunate to have come across the rare bird in the first place, but it was also close enough to be photographed in all its yellow-coated glory, about 50 meters (150 feet) away. There were no other penguins, seals, or natural barriers in the way.
Yves Adams, a Belgian wildlife photographer and expedition guide, found such a penguin in South Georgia
This yellow bird is unusual because of a disorder known as leucism, in which the animal loses some of its pigmentation, resulting in color changes, skin, hair, feathers, and scales become white, pale, or patchy. Unlike albinism, it does not affect the eyes.
Because this penguin isn't producing any melanin, its previously black feathers have turned yellow. So, in a colony of 120,000 birds, this one fits the bill.
Leucism in a yellow penguin is rare, but it’s a lot like the “white rock” roadside mystery, which turned out to be an albino porcupine.
Leucism, a condition in which an animal loses some of its pigmentation, is responsible for the bird's yellowish appearance.
Scientists believe that, "It was heaven that he landed by us. If it had been 50 meters away, we wouldn’t have been able to get this show of a lifetime," said Adams. Leucism occurs in 1 out of 20,000 to 146,000 penguins.
"It was heaven that he landed by us. If it had been 50 meters away, we wouldn’t have been able to get this show of a lifetime," said Adams.
"I'd never seen or heard of a yellow penguin before," Adams told reporters.
The effect of this condition on survival is yet unknown.
There is no information about how this condition affects the survival rate. Still, we can assume that the animal may have difficulty finding a partner and that its colors make it more or less conspicuous to predators.
Adams' photos captivated the internet, with multiple online news agencies covering the story and hundreds of individuals admiring the photos on various social media platforms. It has also been shared on Reddit and Imgur, where it has received over 100,000 upvotes and 60,000 views, respectively.
Before you go, watch the penguin couple that turned a beach stroll into internet gold.
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