The Southwest Gypsy Leaf is a rare plant native to Western Antarctica and was first discovered in the early 1400's. The stem of the plant is thin and brittle, but the leaf itself is very large. During the first 4 months of the year, the leaves are an off-white color, however they turn to a dark green for the remaining 8 months. Scientists believe that the drastic color change is due to a chemical reaction between frost and polar bear urine. []
What is significant about the Gypsy Leaf are the evolutional benefits it has had on the entire species of penguins. The Arctic Penguins were the first classified species of penguins on Earth. These penguins only lived in Antarctica until they discovered the Southwest Gypsy Leaf. When the leaves turn dark green in mid-Spring, the penguins eat them and are given special swimming abilities. This allowed the Arctic penguins to begin life on all other continents and adapt to new land and climates.
Scientists today are still testing the gypsy leaf on other species of animals, with hopes to someday have giraffes swimming to Antarctica. They are also working on creating a pseudo-urine incase polar bears become extinct in the near future.
Andrew Granados