An extraordinarily rare sight! An albino humpback was filmed with a drone on the shores of Macmasters Beach, New South Wales, Australia.
Mark Zucconi captured the amazing drone footage showing an incredibly rare albino humpback whale calf swimming alongside its mother.
Watch:
This wasn’t the first time we have seen an albino whale calf… A few years ago an albino humback whale calf was discovered near Danger Point off the coast of South Africa.
Photographer Jean Tresfon was conducting a marine survey when he spotted the mother and calf pair swimming together. Shooting from his gyroplane, he was able to capture some amazing images of the two directly overhead.
Albino whales are exceptionally rare. The first ever albino humpback was a male spotted in 1991 off of Byron Bay, Australia. Named “Migaloo” or “White Fella,” he is estimated to be somewhere in his mid-thirties.
His age and sex has been determined by his singing behavior in addition to genetic testing.
Albinism is a genetic variation characterized by the absence of pigment in the skin. This variation is due to the lack of the enzyme necessary to produce melanin (natural pigment). According to Missouri Department of Conservation, “Animals can be pure or partial albinos. Pure albinos usually have pink eyes, nails, scales, eyes, or hair. They’re pink because, without coloration, the blood vessels show through.” This isn’t the case with humans and some other species, however. In these circumstances, the eyes appear light blue or green “because of the way light passes through the iris.”
Albinism has been documented in other marine mammal species including gray whales, southern right whales, and dolphins.
Watch some of the only footage of Migaloo captured in Australia:
