Albinism is an unusual phenomenon. A diver was lucky enough to photograph a white humpback whale calf.
Vavaʻu – Amazing discovery by an underwater photographer in the South Pacific. A group of divers came across a female humpback whale and her calf off the Vava’u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga. Instead of the usual dark grey colouring, the calf shone in pure white from the depths of the sea. Only a few specimens with this appearance are known worldwide.
“Witness to something very rare”: Diver discovers white humpback whale baby
“On my last visit here, I was exceptionally lucky to witness something very rare: a completely white baby humpback whale,” photographer Simon Lorenz shared on social media in August. The young animal was playful and curious. Lorenz managed to take several pictures without disturbing the mother and child. “That was one of the highlights of my underwater career,” the photographer said of the unexpected encounter. Recently, scientists were able to film humpback whales mating for the first time. Whales are considered endangered worldwide due to climate change.
However, the color of the young animal could seal its fate: “White babies are so bright that the chances of survival are slim if the mother moves south and to the Antarctic, as they are easy for predators to spot.” Orcas, the potential predators of the humpback whale babies, could quickly become aware of the color. Nevertheless, Lorenz is “confident” that the animal will survive the journey with its mother. It would then be one of the few completely white humpback whales in the world.
Diver photographs extremely rare whale – So far only one albino humpback whale known worldwide
So far, only one adult albino humpback whale is known worldwide: “Migaloo”, an adult male off the coast of Australia. For a long time, there was disagreement about whether the completely white color was actually due to albinism or recinism, as the animal does not have the red eyes typical of albinos. However, scientific tests by the Pacific Whale Foundation have confirmed that the humpback whale is indeed a unique adult albino specimen. This made “Migaloo” the most famous humpback whale in the world. A vacationer also recently made a rare discovery on the island of Föhr in the North Sea.
Simon Lorenz suspects that the most recently sighted baby whale is also an albino, as it was completely white. “These white whales are difficult to photograph because they reflect the light like a mirror,” wrote the photographer. In order to provide complete proof, he said he would have had to see the animal’s eyes. In 2011, for example, a white baby humpback whale was sighted that still had a small black dot on the back of its left fluke. This was therefore classified as a very likely case of leucism (a harmless defect mutation).
Where does the white color come from in some animals?
In some rare cases, animals are noticeable because they are partially or completely white. A distinction must be made between “leucism” and “albinism”. The former describes a genetic defect that prevents the skin and plumage from containing pigment-producing cells. This means that the animal usually only has white areas and otherwise, for example, a normal eye color. A completely white animal, on the other hand, may have “albinism”. With this genetic defect, the pigment cells are present but cannot produce pigment. As a result, the eyes appear blood red because they are also colorless.
Source: NABU – About Albinos and Leucism
Humpback whales grow up to 13 metres long
Humpback whales are found in oceans around the world. According to the WWF, they reach an average length of up to 13 meters and a weight of up to 30 tons. The heaviest creature ever lived may also have been a whale. The upper side of humpback whales is usually black, blue-black or dark gray. The animals are believed to live an average of 40-50 years, although researchers believe some specimens can live up to 100 years. (nz/bk)
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