A photographer has captured incredible shots of “headless penguins” – leaving social media users baffled.
Brian Matthews, from Newcastle, England, was visiting Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands when he spotted the king penguin chicks.
The 46-year-old was left amazed but baffled when he noticed that some of them looked “headless”.
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But the fluffy brown chicks had simply tucked their heads down to conserve heat.
“At the time, I was exploring a beach photographing penguins as part of a larger project documenting seabird behaviour and climate resilience,” Brian, a wildlife photographer, told What’s The Jam.
“I had my camera gear set up low to the sand to get an intimate perspective without disturbing the colony.
“When I first noticed it, I laughed, they genuinely looked like giant Easter eggs and headless penguins!
“But beyond that initial reaction, I realised they captured something really unique and fun.
“It’s not often you see penguin chicks in such a still, almost sculptural pose.
“And I loved the gentle humour in the image balanced with the story of adaptation and survival.”
The post was shared to Instagram were it gained 2,800 likes.
The caption read: “Headless? King penguin or a giant fluffy egg with wings?
“These chicks have mastered the art of looking completely headless when they tuck their beaks under their wings for a snooze.
“At first glance, they could be mistaken for a lost teddy bear or an oddly-shaped beach ball!
“Odd to see these all over the beach!”
The first picture revealed the “headless” penguin, with its entire body covered in fluff.
The second showed an adult king penguin, also dipping his head to conserve heat.
Another showed a fluffy chick hiding its head but with its wings and feet sticking out.
One person said: “That one looks like a hairy chicken nugget.”
Someone else added: “Like a hairy chicken nugget.”
Louise said: “Kiwi fruit.”
Rhoda added: “Thanks for the laugh.”
Bee said: “Lil chicken nugget.”
Another user added: “The nugget in its natural habitat.”
Brian has been photographing wildlife for over 20 years after what started as a passion for the outdoors quickly evolved into a way of telling wildlife and conservation stories through images, especially of lesser-seen or misunderstood moments in nature.
