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White penguin seen in Antarctic - 16th February 2024

There's a white penguin in the Antarctic. It's a Gentoo penguin. They're usually black and white. They have an orange beak.

Hugo Harros is a cook from Chile. He works at the Gabriel Videla science station, in the Antarctic. Harros saw the penguin first. He wanted to take photos.

Hugo Harros: "When we came across this specimen, the crew was very impressed, and we quickly wanted to take pictures for our memories."

Eight years ago, someone saw another white penguin here. It might be the same one. But the two birds have no colour. It's a problem about genes – 'leucism'.

Diego Mojica is a scientist. He knows lots about leucism.

Diego Mojica: "Leucism is the consequence of a recessive gene that seems to be somehow hereditary. Out of thousands of penguins, a certain percentage may be born with leucism."

The leucism gene can be in other animals like whales. It's different from albinism. The animals' eyes are normal.

Gentoo penguins often go near the Antarctic station. But numbers are falling. There are problems with the environment and with humans. This white penguin isn't safe from other animals. She's too easy to see.

Harros is happy with his photos. He hopes to teach people about the birds.

Hugo Harros: "As an amateur nature photographer I wanted to capture this image as a souvenir. I would also like to educate people through photography. This is one of my main goals."