No way, guys! Mother Nature has sent us another gift! So there’s this guy named Yves Adams who takes really cool pictures of animals, right? He’s always taking pictures of animals on camera tours and wild adventures. His plan for the year 2019 is simple: “I want to see some epic sights.” So, he takes a two-month trip to the South Atlantic.
He and his team are now relaxing on the island of South Georgia while trying to get pictures of this huge group of over 120,000 king penguins. Then, all of a sudden, he sees a penguin that stands out from the others because it has a bright yellow coat. Think about the odds, man! This is the only penguin out of 120,000 that is wearing a yellow feather this season.
They are just taking pictures while carrying their gear around when all of a sudden they see this rare, one-of-a-kind yellow penguin. What a good day, huh? It is very hard to get close with all the birds and seals around. This one-of-a-kind bird ends up becoming their best friend for the day, though.
Adams feels like, “It’s a miracle that this little dude decided to drop by.” That’s right, they would miss the show of a lifetime if it hung out 50 metres away. Now, you may be wondering what’s so strange about this penguin’s feathers. The reason for this is thought to be something called leucism. It’s like albinism, but it doesn’t make you lose all of your colours. Instead, it just takes away some.
In general, these penguins should have black feathers, right? On the other hand, their cells that make melanin are on vacation because of leucism, so those black feathers turn into a cool yellow-cream colour. Also, the yellow pigment in their feathers is not the same as the molecules that give other colours their colour. It’s like a fancy chemistry project with animals.
The really scary part is that a penguin getting this leucism thing is about as likely as winning the lottery. The chances are between 1 in 20,000 and 1 in 146,000! What about this yellow penguin? It looks like a natural lottery winner, and Adams and his team were there to catch it on film. The amazing things that nature can do are always a surprise!
Image Credit & More Info; Yves Adams/Instagram | yvesadams.com
