The white stuff: Ultra-rare baby albino dolphin delights whale watchers as it playfully splashes around

  • The rare dolphin was filmed last Tuesday off the coast of California
  • Risso's dolphins are traditionally gray and identifiable with their blunt noses
  • The albino calf was seen swimming in a pod, with its white skin marking it out 

By Sadie Whitelocks for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Whale watchers were forced to double take as an incredibly rare albino dolphin made an appearance in the waters off California last week.

Video footage shows the milky-coloured marine mammal skimming through the water as part of a pod, with its white skin clearly distinguishable against the ocean blue.

At one point it fans its tail in the air, as it playfully plunges down into the choppy sea with its companions close by.

Special sighting: Whale watchers were forced to double take as an incredibly rare albino dolphin made an appearance in the waters off California last week

Special sighting: Whale watchers were forced to double take as an incredibly rare albino dolphin made an appearance in the waters off California last week

Spot the difference: Video footage shows the milky-coloured marine mammal skimming through the water as part of a pod, with its white skin clearly distinguishable

Spot the difference: Video footage shows the milky-coloured marine mammal skimming through the water as part of a pod, with its white skin clearly distinguishable

It didn't seem bothered by the audience and continued to bob along close to the passenger-loaded boat. 

Naturalists from the Princess Monterey Whale Watching sightseeing firm confirmed that the unusual Risso's dolphin was a calf.

It was spotted during a morning excursion, which departed at 9am on June 6. Humpbacks also surfaced during the tour. 

Risso's dolphins - which are traditionally gray and identifiable with their stout, blunt noses - usually measure around 3.5 to 5.5 feet in length as newborns.

They can go on to live more than three decades with an estimated lifespan of at least 35 years.

It's not the first time an albino dolphin has been spotted on a Princess Monterey Whale Watching trip. 

In 2015 passengers were delighted by similar close-up sightings around the same stretch of coastline. 

Water baby: Naturalists from the Princess Monterey Whale Watching sightseeing firm confirmed that the unusual Risso's dolphin was a calf 

Water baby: Naturalists from the Princess Monterey Whale Watching sightseeing firm confirmed that the unusual Risso's dolphin was a calf 

In its element: It didn't seem bothered by the audience and continued to bob along close to the passenger-loaded boat 

In its element: It didn't seem bothered by the audience and continued to bob along close to the passenger-loaded boat 

Risso's dolphins are rare but the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers this species 'data deficient' due to insufficient information on population status and trends.  

Albinism has been observed in more than 20 species of oceangoing mammals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), but appears to be rare in dolphins.

Animals with the genetic trait are not believed to be inherently weaker or less capable than regular dolphins, though their colour can make them easier targets for predators.

Dolphins with especially severe albino traits can sometimes suffer from impaired vision - though the rarity of the creatures mean that extensive research is yet to be carried out, and theories often have to be extrapolated from albino humans. 

Sightings of a baby albino off the Louisiana coast in 2007 caused a flurry of excitement, as did an adult albino, who was found swimming in the Mediterranean, near Italy, in the summer of 2014.   

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