Guests and expedition staff aboard the National Geographic Explorer were treated to a rare sighting of this nearly all-white leucistic Chinstrap penguin January 9, 2012. It’s not quite an albino since it has pigmented eyes and a washed-out version of a Chinstrap penguin’s coloring pattern.
Photo by David Stephens
Naturalist David Stephens snapped this photo as the penguin waddled its way through the Aitcho Islands in Antarctica. Penguins’ two-tone black-and-white coloring offers camouflage while diving for fish, and this color is so fundamental to their success in catching fish that variations are seldom seen. “Many wondered about this unusual bird’s chances of success,” Stephens said. “While odd coloration may make fishing a bit more difficult, leucistic birds are regularly found breeding normally.”
Check out some of the more common sights aboard the National Geographic Explorer on our Journey to Antarctica expedition in this photo gallery.
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