Melanistic penguins

[Nessa]

I know this isn't a horse but I thought you guys might be interested in a couple of melanistic penguins. One appears to be male and the other looks as if it could be female. They look great and the other normal penguins don't seem to shun them so maybe they will be able to pass on the prediposition for darker coloring.

http://www.dogonews.com/2010/03/10/rare ... antarctica

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... uin-video/

[belambi]

Dont be ridiculous.... His shirt is still in the wash!!

[Linda_d]

The first article indicates that scientists believe the black penguin is mutation, but the second bird hints that it might not be. Maybe penguins have expression and pattern gene(s) that regulate were and how much white they show just like horses.

[xfactor fan]

I've always been taught that the white belly on penguins was protective coloration against predators. Sharks and Orcas hunt from underneath and the white belly makes it harder to see against the sky.

I'd think a black Penguin would stand out against the surface/sky, and make a good target.

[Nessa]

That's what I thought, but these two seem to have beat the odds on that one. The male seems to be bigger than the others in the photo. I wonder if being larger and maybe stronger than the others evens out the lack of protective coloration.

P.S. : Has anyone ever heard of an all black zebra? I've seen tigers with stripes so thick that they are nearly completely dark. Unfortunately human hunters seem to find them more easily too.

[accphotography]

*shrugs*

[Jorge]

Well, I haven't seen this before either!!

[reedhill]

Melanistic............hummm, no rabicano, LOL or roan
How neat is that little guy, and the Zebra...........maybe a bloody shoulder
or a tribe/people threw a local solid horse out with the Zebra herd
because he had poor manners or conformation and their animal activist
banned slaughter, so the poor stallion horse decided to make is mark in Zebra world...........LOL ok,
yes I'm on foal watch and have pneumonia, so I'm a bit giddy.......

[Nessa]

*shrugs*

Yep that's what I was looking for. I'm pretty sure zebras that look like that would be much easier for predators to find. They wouldn't blend in well with the others at all.

[Nessa]

*shrugs*

Yep that's what I was looking for. I'm pretty sure zebras that look like that would be much easier for predators to find. They wouldn't blend in well with the others at all.