Albino Whales In The News (Whale Shark and Southern Right Whales)

August 30, 2008

There were two interesting albino whale sightings in the news this week. Actually, we should correct that statement and set it straight as the whale shark is not actually a whale, but a fish - the world’s largest fish. The other creature was indeed a whale - an albino Southern Right Whale.

Both creatures are believed to be white because of a lack of pigmentation in their skin but they are expected to gradually turn to a darker colour as the years go by.

Whale Sharks, according to the Whale Shark Project website, have a circumglobal distribution in tropical and warm temperate seas and are typically found in areas of high plankton productivity. They are present mainly between latitudes 30° N and 35° S, but have been sighted as far North as New York on the US East coast and as far South as Tasmania. (Note: I couldn’t document or verify any whale shark sightings in New England waters ~ Mark Bransfield)

Do you know the name of the second largest fish in the world? It is the basking shark, a plankton eating, filter-feeding shark that is often seen in the coastal waters of New England.

Albino Whale Shark Sighted in Waters off Coast of Darwin, an Island in the Galapagos group

An article by Richard Shears in the online edition of the British newspaper, The Daily Mail, has a fascinating description and photographs of an encounter by a group of divers with a 33-ft albino whale shark in the waters off the coast of Darwin, an island in the Galapagos group.

Here is a photograph of the albino whale shark (Copyright: Barcroft Media).

Albino Whale Shark

The divers had the incredible luck of watching and photographing this rare and graceful creature for approximately 30 minutes as it glided through the waters near them. The female whale shark, believed to be the only one of its kind, was first spotted by diver and naturalist Antonio Moreano in the Galapagos islands when he took a group of tourists on a nature cruise.

Visit Mr. Shears online article for all of the details of the sighting.

A Rare Albino Southern Right Whale Calf SIghted in Waters off Western Australia

The article by Mr. Shears inThe Daily Mailalso describes a sighting of a rare, snow-white albino Southern Right whale calf in the waters off western Australia. The whale which has become a tourist attraction is believed to be one of only ten in the world.

Here is a photograph of the albino Southern Right Whale calf (Copyright: Barcroft Media):

Albino Southern Right Whale Calf

Albino Southern Right Whale Calf