lickystickypickyme:

This bald penguin chick is too ‘funny’. Look at that belly. Too sad the condition is all but fun for the animal itself:

Large numbers of baby penguins in South Africa and Argentina are mysteriously losing their plumage, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced recently.

These so-called “naked penguins” are victims of a rare disease called feather-loss disorder. So far, the possible causes include pathogens, thyroid disorders, nutrient imbalances, or genetics, according to the conservation group.

Scientists who recently studied the disorder in Argentina’s Magellanic penguins found that bare chicks grew more slowly and were smaller in size and weight than their normal feathered kin.