The tale of Moby Dick talks about a giant whale known to terrorize the seas during the whaling period. As such, a rare albino humpback whale calf was spotted close to Australia's coast with people questioning whether it was related to the Migaloo, a white whale just like the legendary Moby Dick.
Rare Humpback Whale Calf
According to Live Science, recent footage emerged of an albino newborn humpback whale seen off Australia's coast. Due to how it looked pearly white, people are drawing connections between the calf and the "Migaloo."
As noted by the Pacific Whale Foundation, the classic Moby Dick described an all-white whale while Migaloo talks about a white adult humpback whale first spotted in 1991 and remains alive today. Migaloo, the seemingly albino humpback whale, was first spotted off Byron Bay in Queensland.
PBS estimates that the lifespan of humpback whales is estimated to be around 80 to 90 years old, although the actual average remains unknown. As such, it's possible that the recently spotted baby white humpback whale could be the calf of Migaloo.
The footage was captured via a drone operated by Jaydyn Mathewson, who spied on the pale whale in July. Mathewson spent his time gliding alongside the mother somewhere in New South Whales' northern tip.
Migration of Humpback Whales
The Australian Government's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water reports that from around June to August, humpback whales often migrate to the coasts of eastern Australia. Within this period, they often mate and give birth before they return to the feeding grounds of Antarctica between September and November.
Humpback whales, otherwise known as Megaptera novaeangliae, often have dark gray to black complexions with white belly blotches. However, the footage shows a milky-white calf as its finds seemed to gleam in the sun.
Despite its appearance, experts are still not completely sold out about the calf being albino. Wally Franklin, the Ocean Project cetacean researcher and marine scientist, says that newborn whales having lighter hues weren't unheard of.
Although they were rarely documented, baby whale calves are born with a whitish covering, giving it a bright glow which can be mistaken for albinism. He said that after about a week, this covering starts to disappear and the whale starts getting normal black and white pigmentation.
Existence of Migaloo
So far, Migaloo is the only known albino whale in the eastern Australian humpback whale population. As such, albinism comes with a disadvantage as creatures with this condition could be more sensitive to sunlight and cold.
Despite the vulnerability, Migaloo was able to survive until adulthood but hasn't been seen since 2020. Although it's possible that the white calf was his, Migaloo would've also needed to mate with a partner carrying the rare mutation as well.
So far, two other baby "Moby Dicks" have been spotted in New South Wales.
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