rachelle mackintosh, Polar pinup (ANIMALS 2026)

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www.faunographic.com

At Cape Adare in East Antarctica, an Adelie penguin waits out the moult. Every year these hardy seabirds replace their feathers and become punk-rock scruffs for the 2-3 weeks that the cycle of shedding-growing unfolds. It's a hungry, uncomfortable time for them because, as they aren't waterproof during the transition, they can't go fishing and must stay ashore/fast. This beauty seemed shy but curious as I kept my distance and set my 100-400mm lens to 400mm (image is also cropped slightly)

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.