Downy brown or gray plumage, not the crisp black‑and‑white suit of their parents, defines many penguin chicks. The mismatch fuels endless “swapped at birth” jokes, yet biology points to a stark function: survival under heavy predation pressure. Seen from above by skuas or other aerial hunters, a pale, mottled chick blends into guano‑stained rock, ice, and shadow far better than a sharp monochrome ...More