White whale Migaloo spotted getting amorous

White whale Migaloo spotted getting amorous

www.news.com.au

MIGRATING albino humpback whale Migaloo has been spotted swimming south off the northern New South Wales coastal town of Byron Bay.
Cape Byron Marine Park Manager Andrew Page said the famous white whale was seen about 3pm (AEST) yesterday just north of The Pass with a pod of other whales,

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
tools.goldcoast.com.au

Wow "Migaloo" I haven't heard of Him before now (dam Aussies hiding things) and Growing by the Day.

Mr Page said Migaloo was the only recorded all-white humpback whale in the world.
"He is an adult male and was called Migaloo as this is the name Aboriginal people from the Hervey Bay area use to describe a white person,'' he said.

More pictures in link.

Zelong.

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 29/9/09 by Zelong]

What an amazing looking creature

What an amazing looking creature

I can't leave out "Pinky" the dolphin
Source:
More pictures here







ATS Thread on "Pinky"

Zelong.

[edit on 29/9/09 by Zelong]

reply to post by Zelong


WOW! S & F.

Thank you for those amazing photos and the good news!

I hope he will have a lot of babies and maybe an all-white as well.

Great pictures, thanks for posting. I love reading about whales and dolphins. We see a lot of killer whales where I'm at. I've never heard of this white whale before, very cool. I've read about the pink Amazon river dolphins.

www.isptr-pard.org...

reply to post by Orion65


Hi Orion,

I think someone doctored those pics and we have been had.

But S & F to us for believing anyway.

Originally posted by spellbound
reply to post by Orion65

 

Hi Orion,

I think someone doctored those pics and we have been had.

But S & F to us for believing anyway.

Hi,

Are you referring to the whale photos or the dolphins?

edit to add:
You must be talking about the whale, it looks like it's legit.

[edit on 29-9-2009 by Orion65]

They are albino...

Same thing which happens to humans can also happen to animals!

Albinism (from Latin albus, "white"; see extended etymology, also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis) is a form of hypopigmentary congenital disorder, characterized by a partial (in hypomelanism, also known as hypomelanosis) or total (amelanism or amelanosis) lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair, or more rarely in the eyes alone.

Albinism results from inheritance of recessive alleles. The condition is known to affect mammals (including humans), fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

While the most common term for an organism affected by albinism is "albino" (noun and adjective), the word is sometimes used in derogatory ways towards people; more neutral terms are "albinistic" (adjective) and "person with albinism" (noun).

Additional clinical adjectives sometimes used to refer to animals are "albinoid" and "albinic".

Taken From Wikipedia

reply to post by Orion65


I am referring to both but I still enjoyed the pics.

There cannot be a bright pink dolphin in existence.

And probably not an albino whale.

Originally posted by spellbound
reply to post by Orion65

 

I am referring to both but I still enjoyed the pics.

There cannot be a bright pink dolphin in existence.

And probably not an albino whale.

The pink river dolphins are definitely real (check out the link I provided) and it appears the whale is, too. It's just rare to see one. Just about any species has a chance of being born without pigment. Here's one link showing various animals with albinism:

www.lifeinthefastlane.ca...

reply to post by Orion65


Hey Orion,

I am sorry for not believing you - but I always believe rubbish, so I thought I was again.

And they were the greatest pix! And I am thrilled if it is real.

Originally posted by spellbound
reply to post by Orion65

 

Hey Orion,

I am sorry for not believing you - but I always believe rubbish, so I thought I was again.

And they were the greatest pix! And I am thrilled if it is real.

Don't be sorry, you don't know until you know, right? Nature does tend to surprise us once in a while.

Yar thar she blows a hump like a snow hill! It's Moby Dick!

Originally posted by spellbound
reply to post by Orion65

 

Hi Orion,

I think someone doctored those pics and we have been had.

But S & F to us for believing anyway.

O' me gods spellbound you can't be serous
"Migaloo" and "Pinky" are known and reported by the public,

"Migaloo"
Cape Byron Marine Park Manager Andrew Page said the famous white whale was seen about 3pm (AEST) yesterday just north of The Pass with a pod of other whales,

“Pinky”
“The unique bottlenose – first spotted in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary in Louisiana, by boat captain Erik Rue, 42, in 2007 – has surfaced again”.

"The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail and has reddish eyes indicating its albinism. The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws.”

There have only been two other documented sightings of albino bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, both of all-white mammals and both in 1994.

"“Pinky” is believed to be the only pink dolphin in the world, and has “reddish” eyes. It is usually spotted with its dark grey mother.”"

Zelong.

Simply breathtaking!!!! I love the ocean and all it creatures. Thanks for the awesome pics!

Originally posted by Orion65
Great pictures, thanks for posting. I love reading about whales and dolphins. We see a lot of killer whales where I'm at. I've never heard of this white whale before, very cool. I've read about the pink Amazon river dolphins.

www.isptr-pard.org...

Thanks Orion65 for the Pink and Gray River Dolphins link.

I'm sure we will see daily photo's of "Migaloo" coming in each day after this sighting.

"While we expect that Migaloo will attract a lot of attention on his way south we ask that people ensure that they maintain a safe distance and allow him to pass peacefully."

"Migaloo" is heading south and should pass Sydney Harbor with in the next 24-36hr's I should imagine,It depends how fast the Girls are Tailing it I guess


Zelong.

There's a "Migaloo" website with a sighting log for "Migaloo",

This website is about raising awareness on humpback whales in particular Migaloo the white whale. Once thought to be an Albino Whale but for the moment he is known as a "hypo-pigmented" humpback.

I thought "Migaloo" was a young whale look how massive he is next to Dolphins (link above) but than there's no statement saying it's "Migaloo"

SIZE: Humpback whales grow to be about 12-15 metres long, weighing 25-40 tons. The females are slightly larger than males, as with all baleen whales. The four-chambered heart of the average humpback whale weighs about 195 kg about as much as three average adult human beings....
# DIVING, BREACHING, SPY HOPPING, AND LOB TAILING Humpback whales can dive for up to 40 minutes, but usually last only up to 5-15 minutes. Humpbacks can dive to a depth of 150-210 metres. Humpbacks are very acrobatic, often breaching high out of the water and then slapping the water as they come back down. Sometimes they twirl around while breaching. Breaching is likely to be largely for communication, as the sound of a breaching whale travels a long way underwater,but may also be purely for play or be used to loosen skin parasites. Spy hopping is another humpback activity in which the whale pokes its head out of the water for up to 30 seconds to look around. Humpbacks also stick their tail out of the water into the air, swing it around, and then slap it on the water's surface; this is called lob tailing. It makes a very loud sound. The meaning or purpose of lob tailing is unknown, but may be done as a warning to the rest of the pod. Humpbacks lob tail more when the seas are rough and stormy. Slapping a fin against the surface of the water is often seen in courting behaviour.

Zelong.

reply to post by Zelong


Wow, you're right - the dolphin looks tiny compared to those whales. I've never seen any whales in person except killer whales, we get a pod of those in the area usually every year but they're nowhere near the size of humpbacks. As for the albino animal link, I'm an animal lover in general so I think they're all great to see but I really liked the white peacock.