Rare Penguin Mutation “one in a Zillion”
Published by This rare pengin photographed has a gene mutation that makes him all black!
When one thinks of a penguin, normally, the stereotypical tuxedo appearance comes to mind. Recently a King Penguin has been photographed on South Georgia Island (very near Antarctica) that displays a rare mutation never seen before by scientists! National Geographic photographer Andrew Evans managed to take a snapshot of this rare bird:
This perfectly healthy penguin has a rare genetic disorder that causes the body to lose control of where its melanin is placed. Melanin is pigmentation, much like in human skin, the darker the color, the more melanin is present. Some penguins have shown a mixed white and black coat of feathers, a display of incomplete dominance most likely. Biologists are baffled at this uber-rare occurrence and some are even calling it a “one in a zillion” chance! (and we all know a zillion really isn’t a number to put it in better perspective ;D). Although there is very little research on the subject, scientists suggest that the partial (mixed black and white) dominance of the melanin traits appears only once in a quarter million! This big guy has become an instant celebrity in the penguin and scientific world. More research on the subject is being looked into to help explain this amazing natural phenomenon! whether he likes it or not, this super-penguin just waddled his way into the penguin hall of fame.
Liked it
On March 11, 2010 at 4:50 am
Good piece
On March 11, 2010 at 5:54 am
Yap! Good expressiong in picture.
On March 11, 2010 at 5:57 am
I like it!
On March 11, 2010 at 8:09 am
Next will be the progeny of this celebrity all baby celebrities. A good write up.
On March 11, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Poor penguin, he won’t get his security deposit back when he takes his tuexedo back
.
On March 11, 2010 at 6:39 pm
I wonder if the other penguins make fun of him.
On March 12, 2010 at 1:28 am
Penguin mutations aye, never heard of that before.
Good consice info you said what you wantted to say but it didn’t take 30 min. to read. Good Job
On March 12, 2010 at 7:34 am
Great article. I love this bird, but is their any research done on its survival chances? White lions for example will not surivive in nature, because the stand out too much bacause of their color, that the mostly get killed while they are still cubs.
On March 12, 2010 at 9:19 am
I really liked this article…penguins are such unique animals!
Desertsister
On March 12, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I wonder about the offspring, will they be black too? Very interesting article, thank you!
On March 12, 2010 at 9:08 pm
I like this article. It’s interesting. Who’s ever heard of a black penguin? I personally have never seen a genetically disordered animal before. And still, I hope to become a scientist.
On March 13, 2010 at 5:49 am
A really rare case of melanism. More popular melanic animals are the black panthers, which are leopards.
On March 13, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Nice atricle dude. I really liked it. Were learning about gene mutations and misshapen proteins due to gene mutations in Biology. I wonder how this mutation will affect the penguins ability to survive. It sure as hell isnt going to be able blend into its surroundings. I also wonder if its going to be able to find a mate, and if it does its the gene mutation dominant? Its an interesting thing to think about, because if the penguin does find a mate, and the gene is dominant, there could be hundreds of black penguins in the future.
On March 13, 2010 at 1:11 pm
nice
On March 13, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Very interesting. Presumably the other penguins must accept him, otherwise he wouldn’t have survived. He certainly looks very distinguished!
On March 13, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this before. Great share, this was interesting!
Best regards,
A W Hegelund
On March 14, 2010 at 11:02 am
Great article and very informative
On March 14, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Interesting, thanks
On March 14, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Liked it real interesting read…. cheers
On March 14, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Oh wow, this is just amazing. I knew this was possible and usually the mutations look awful but this one is actually some what beautiful. Nice article!
On March 14, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Wow
On March 14, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Nice article
On March 15, 2010 at 10:17 am
Nice find dude! I bet most people can’t be bother to find or write about these, but you actually took the effort! Nice one!Even though your article is short, it fits the title perfectly, I migh learn from you.
On March 15, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Poor penguin… but nice article! Thanks for sharing.
On March 15, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Poor penguin
On March 16, 2010 at 4:51 am
Good article. Thanks for sharing.
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On March 16, 2010 at 11:17 am
good job
On March 16, 2010 at 12:23 pm
If the darkness of his body allows him to be less visable in water,then he will be able to get food more successfully than the others, and if he finds a mate and this mutation is passed on somehow, then evolution will have given an upgrade to their survival by being less visable when in water, thus, a whole population of dark penguins should develope over time.
On March 17, 2010 at 12:14 am
How did you get the ok to use the picture?
On March 17, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Woad thats one weird bird check out my article about Runescape.
Its called ” What is Runescape? “
On March 18, 2010 at 7:23 am
Ooh that’s cool!
I wonder what kind of genetics made him… if it’s not cross-breeding then it is rare indeed 
On March 22, 2010 at 10:35 pm
How peculiar
bizarre
very unique
Different/ I like.
On February 28, 2012 at 9:57 am
OK, first of all, this is amazing. this could lead to a whole newtype of penguin. Secondly, can I use this for a report on genetics?
On March 20, 2012 at 11:09 pm
sure!