Western Australia’s Migaloo was sighted in Flinders Bay today as the incredible white whale surfaced with the intricate markings on this Humpbacks skin absolutely stunning. It was a beautiful afternoon as the peaceful conditions were mesmerising with the local Bottlenose Dolphins looking for their afternoon snack. Western Australia’s Migaloo appeared alongside a friend as both whales surfaced in unison in the calm conditions and our heart skipped a beat, what an incredible whale! Predominately white we could see the glow of the entire body when this whale was a few meters below the surface as the light reflected off the white skin. During each surfacing we could see the unique black patterns that acted as highlights and accentuated this whales beauty. Humpback Whales are generally jet black to grey along their backs and they will have big white bellies most of the time, but with a population of over forty thousand in Western Australia it is not unusual to see a variety of different markings. Todays white whale however was truely stunning as we rarely see such a white whale also carrying such intricate markings.
Though not a true albino this beautiful whale is showing the signs of a condition known as Leucism, this is a condition where all pigment types are lost in patches of cells. It is believed the east coast Migaloo is an albino as he carries the gene but there have been some reports he has brown eyes and not pink which leads to some conjecture as the study was completed over a decade ago.
Journeying with these whales across Flinders Bay they were in migration mode and ready to undertake the next stage of their epic journey north. The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse watched over us as we moved towards the reef line and enjoyed time with these two very beautiful whales. Identification images were collected of both whales including the white whale which will enable an opportunity to see if this whale has been sighted before in Western Australia. The catalogue allows us to better track the movement of the Australian Humpbacks and hope to see re-sightings in the future to get a better understanding of each whale journey, life story and overall health. Our afternoon was also spent with an escort pod who were relaxed and enjoying each others company. The cheeky Common Dolphins who have been feasting on pilchards in the bay and made another appearance today including some speedy and dynamics breaches. A very special day to meet such a special whale and we hope to have the opportunity of meeting Western Australia’s Migaloo again very soon. To all our Pod Members be sure to keep an eye out in the coming weeks along the Western Australian coastline for this unique Humpback Whale.
