18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
King penguin at sea

Most images of king penguins show them upright, on land, where ungainly would be a generous description of how they move about. In the sea however, they are truly in their element. Their feathers adopt a neoprene look as the water appears to roll off them. And the pigment in their feathers appears to be even more vivid.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: South Georgia, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Copyright: © Conor Ryan