A rare melanistic king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus on South Georgia Island, Southern Ocean. A rare melanistic king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus on South Georgia Island, Southern Ocean MORE INFO A melanistic penguin has an over abundance of melanin, and is colored black in areas that normally would appear white note the black chest on this individual The king penguin is the second largest species of penguin at about 90 cm 3 ft tall and weighing 11 to 16 kg 24 to 35 lb, second only to the