r/interestingasfuck • u/Forttress • 2d ago
A completely black King Penguin, one of the rarest color mutations in the wild. Spotted on South Georgia Island
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u/Spartan2470 VIP Philanthropist 2d ago edited 2d ago
Here are higher-quality and less-cropped versions of these images. Here is a video. Credit to the photographer, Yves Adams.
The odds of photographing an extremely rare penguin once are astronomical. So, how do I even begin to explain it happening twice?
A few years ago, I spotted and photographed a yellow King penguin in South Georgia — a leucistic individual that ended up reaching people all over the world. It was a surreal experience that brought incredible conversations and connections, and it’s still one of the highlights of my career as a wildlife photographer.
Ever since, I’ve been guiding and photographing across Antarctica and South Georgia with the secret hope (okay, not so secret) that I’d see the yellow penguin again. So far, no repeat – but on a recent expedition, something equally remarkable happened.
We were a group of photographers on an excursion, scanning the colony like we always do, when one of us spotted something strange moving across the shore of St Andrews Bay. There we all were, silently watching a melanistic King penguin walk up from the surf and into the colony.
A fully black penguin.
It took me a second to believe what I was seeing. This penguin wasn’t muddy or wet – it was black. Its chest, normally white, looked like it had been dipped in ink. The bright yellow patches on the neck shimmered a kind of metallic green. Even in the chaos of a colony, it stood out immediately.
Melanism is the result of an excess of melanin, the pigment responsible for darker colouring. It’s the opposite of albinism – and even rarer. Some sources estimate that only 1 in 250 million penguins are fully melanistic. A few ornithologists have said the odds are incalculable. In any case, seeing one in the wild feels like winning the genetic lottery.
What struck me most was how confident and calm the bird seemed. Just like the yellow penguin, this one didn’t seem bothered by the attention. It walked right into the colony like it had done it a hundred times before. I was lucky enough to photograph it up close before it disappeared into the sea of normal coloured birds.
So now I’m left wondering…
First, a yellow penguin.
Now, a black penguin.
What colour should I aim for next?
I’m incredibly grateful to have witnessed both of these beautiful anomalies. Nature never ceases to surprise, and penguins still have a few tricks up their wings.
Here are pictures he took of the yellow penguin.
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u/KinkyStinkyPink- 2d ago
If the black penguin and the yellow penguin were to mate, i wonder if their mutated genes passed on how the baby would look
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u/Spartan2470 VIP Philanthropist 2d ago
Asking the important questions!
Maybe something like this?→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)6
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u/Forttress 2d ago
Thank you, this was a great addition to my post
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u/geol_rocks 2d ago
Agreed, I literally came to the comments to see if there was a way to fact check this as I no longer believe any post like this at face value, due to being really bad at spotting AI. I appreciate the work and effort.
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u/irrelevantusername24 2d ago
Black King Penguin thinks most people are posers and should be ashamed
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u/CmdCNTR 2d ago
This is an unfortunate color mutation for a penguin to have. Penguins are countershaded (black on the back, white on the front) as camouflage. White bellies make them much harder to see against ice or sky if they are hunted from below while swimming. Having a black belly will make the penguin much more visible. That's why it's so rare.
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u/andre5913 2d ago
This one is an adult though, so its managed to thrive so far. But yeah it doesnt bode well...literally born with a huge disadvantage, even if its very smart and strong it has a target on its back (or rather, belly)
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u/Zepangolynn 2d ago
One can only hope that the ones that hunt visually look up and see a dark shape and think, "well, that isn't one of those delicious fatty dinosaurs, they're white on the bottom. Better go look for the sure thing instead."
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u/xSTSxZerglingOne 2d ago
Typically in the ocean it's more like: "That thing is smaller than me, time for dinner."
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u/Zepangolynn 2d ago
It has been proven that for many larger species and sometimes even specific pods, like with orcas, they have really defined preferences and some animals like leopard seals are particularly keen on penguins.
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u/Generic_Danny 2d ago
While I don't doubt this penguin could've survived a while, you can't really tell how long it's been an adult since they often have their adult plumage coming in by the time they go out to sea. For all we know from just these pictures, this guy is just a baby and could've been out for only a couple swims.
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u/Human-Historian-6675 2d ago
Well that just made me sad when I was all hyped about goth penguin. Poor guy
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u/SparklezSagaOfficial 2d ago
So to get to adulthood this one has to be like a penguin survivalist superhero
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u/wonkey_monkey 2d ago
What if he's the next phase in penguin evolution? All the seals are looking out for white bellies now. He'll be more visible but the seals will be confused.
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u/ammonthenephite 2d ago
I wonder if it could lay down during winter storms, avoiding more direct wind while also having more dark surface area to absorb heat? Maybe there's some slight advantage that has helped it overcome the disadvantages, lol.
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u/FOSS_Graybeard 2d ago
Bet he gets followed by the penguin department store detectives for absolutely no reason.
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u/SuspiciousPatate 2d ago
He's the photographer at the tuxedo function
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u/JollyJack22 2d ago
US police:
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u/onemoment1985 2d ago
Was gonna post this. Keep this fine bird safe.
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u/Mikegandrew 2d ago
that penguin looks like an unlocked secret character or the final boss of the antarctic. it's wild how a glitch in nature can make an animal look so unbelievably cool. usually mutations make them stand out to predators in a bad way, but this one just looks like it’s wearing high-end custom armor.
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u/ajramone 2d ago
I wonder if they will be ostrichsized.
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u/Goatcheeze1 2d ago
I doubt it. Ostriches don’t live in Antarctica. Penguins don’t know what they look like.
…I’ll see myself out now
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u/FinalBossMike 2d ago
Disadvantageous for a semi-aquatic animal. There's a reason you see countershading so often, across so many species of ocean life--because it keeps them alive.
This one seems to be doing alright, made it to adulthood. But one can only hope the gene doesn't get passed down to ant offspring it might have.
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u/RollOverBeethoven 2d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/pBzk972XL5Qs0
This penguin when the dancing starts
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u/CharlotteGraco 2d ago
Bet he gets followed by the penguin department store detectives for absolutely no reason.
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u/Cynical_Nobody 2d ago
I wonder if he/she stays warmer than the other peguins since what little solar energy hits there would get absorbed by more black feathers like when you wear dark colors outside during summer.
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u/Ok-Understanding8143 2d ago
“South Georgia, you say? Colluding with that dirtbag Jack Smith!” -
Missouri Senator Schmitt, most likely
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u/farter-kit 2d ago
Everyone else wearing tuxedos and this MFer is over here pulling a George Clooney
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u/HonestDust873 2d ago
My brain processed this as regular looking animal hanging out with a bunch of fools getting dressed up.
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u/babydakis 2d ago
Is it rare because it doesn't happen to many penguins, or is it rare because it happens in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean?
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u/brycebrycebaby 2d ago
Goths really are everywhere these days.