Embarrassed mother penguin's desperate attempt to tidy up her chick's unruly hair
Most of the other young penguins had already grown a set of adult feathers but this late developer needed a helping hand.
The little King Penguin - Aptenodytes Patagonicus in Latin - had already grown majestic black and white feathers on his wings and stomach.
But instead of a golden crest on his head, sat a tuft of downy brown fluff.
The picture was taken in South Georgia by Sjoerd van Berge Henegouwen, 45.
Sjoerd, 45, a criminal defence lawyer from Maastricht in The Netherlands said: 'I kind of got the feeling that the parent penguin was worried about the chick being so late in the season with its moulting process.
'The moulting process happens to the adult birds as well as the young penguins, they either get new feathers or exchange their down for feathers.
'The penguin in the photo is halfway done with moulting its down, but he is rather late already.
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| Unkempt: The mother penguin on the remote island of South Georgia appears to be making a desperate attempt to smarten up her offspring's unruly hair |
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| Shame-faced: The young penguin has sprouted glossy black and white feathers but kept his fluffy head covering later than his peers |
