Rare All-White Gentoo Penguin Spotted in Antarctica

January 16, 2024

A photographer has captured images of an extremely rare all-white Gentoo penguin in Chile’s Antarctic territory. The leucistic female penguin was filmed at the Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Base amongst a large colony of typically black-and-white Gentoo penguins.

Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Base

González Videla Base is a currently inactive research station in Antarctica located at Waterboat Point on the Paradise Bay coast. It is named after Gabriel González Videla, the first Chilean president to visit Antarctica back in the 1940s.

The base operated from 1951 to 1958, and briefly reopened in the early 1980s. Nowadays, only occasional summer trips are made by Chilean groups and tourists.

Loss of Feather Pigmentation

The penguin’s white plumage is caused by leucism, a genetic condition where feathers lack melanin pigmentation. It differs from albinism since the eyes and beak retain color. Less than 1% of a penguin population exhibits leucism.

May Be Same Penguin Spotted Earlier

Experts say this same all-white Gentoo may have been spotted eight years ago in the colony. The recent sighting could be of the same penguin or a relative. Gentoo penguins commonly inhabit areas around the Chilean base.

Gentoo Penguin Population Facing Threats

The gentoo penguin, with the scientific name Pygoscelis papua, belongs to the Pygoscelis genus of penguins. Its closest genetic relatives are the Adélie and chinstrap penguins within the same genus.

The Gentoo penguin species is classified as Near Threatened presently due to declining populations on sub-Antarctic islands. Protection of breeding habitat is crucial for conservation.

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