Awesome White Whale Spotted In Australia

By R. Siva Kumar - 10 Aug '15 15:21PM

After seeing a "rare white humpback whale" near Queensland coast on Monday, whale watchers hope that it is Australia's famous whale, Migaloo.

A name given by Aboriginal Elders translating into "white fella," it is one part of a rare group of white whales seen in Australian waters.

The whale was seen on Monday by a Seven News television helicopter at 11 a.m. This is the first time Migaloo would be seen since his migration towards the Australian east coast last year.

More news from Queensland's Department of Environment and Heritage Protection explains that Migaloo was first seen in 1991 near Byron Bay. It raised a lot of excitement, as he was the first known "white humpback".

He is the "rockstar" of the ocean, says brisbanetimes.

At the time he had been male, three to five years old, and was recorded to be singing, captured in 1998 and 2003.

He has then been seen at different spots in Australia. One Twitter account has been dedicated to his migration patterns.

However, Oskar Peterson, who manages the Twitter account and has been a Migaloo-watcher since the early '90s, said more photos are needed to pin down whether the recent spotting is really Migaloo or not. Due to the timing of the migration and because it looks "smaller and younger" than Migaloo, it may not be he who was seen in Sydney and Cairns last year.

"The photos coming in are inconclusive," Peterson said. "He seems to be very shining white, while last year he had yellow colouring markings on him."

Moreover, Migaloo has a "crooked hook fin and a scar" after he was struck by a trimaran off Queensland in 2003. These features are not spotted in the photographs now.

"He got ran into by a trimaran so he has some scars on the left side, and he also has an unusual hook on his back," Peterson said. "In the photos and the YouTube footage (above) on the beach the hook isn't as prominent as Migaloo's is."

"This could well be Migaloo, but at this moment in time I am leaning towards that it is not. Due to his size and lack of photos at the moment, but also the timing of the year. It is very unusual," Peterson said. "What might be the case is that he has fallen smitten for some beautiful humpback female and he has been singing her love songs and taking his time."

There are at least three other white whales in Australian waters. "We know there were two white whales born the size of Migaloo on the east coast in the last four or five years. We also believe there is one that cruises up the west coast of Australia but we don't have photographic evidence of it," Peterson said, adding there is also a white whale in the northern hemisphere near Norway.

The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and Sea World have been requested to give their comment.