A wildlife photographer says he believes he has photographed a never-before-seen yellow penguin on the Antarctic coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
The rare species was clearly distinguishable from its black-and-white companions, says photographer Yves Adams. The 43-year-old was leading a two-month expedition to the Antarctic and the South Atlantic Ocean in December when, stopping at the remote South Georgia Islands, he came across the special penguin among about 120,000 Salisbury Plain penguins.
The yellow penguin is reported to be in the 'leucistic' condition, a condition that causes partial loss of pigmentation in animals. Yves, from Ghent, Belgium, described the experience as unique.
“I had never seen a yellow penguin before. There were about 120 birds on that beach and only one was yellow."
Yves explains further:
"Due to his leuciostic condition, his cells do not produce melanin so the normally black feathers turn yellow or milky. We all got excited when we saw it, dropped everything and took the cameras. We were lucky that the bird was sitting next to us and the view was not blocked by the sea or by larger animals."
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