This Rare Pink Dolphin Sighting Is the Only Thing Getting Us Through the Week

An internet-famous pink dolphin made a rare appearance last week, surprising (and delighting!) boaters in Louisiana's Calcasieu Ship Channel. The dolphin, aptly nicknamed Pinky, was first spotted nearly a decade ago swimming in the same channel alongside her normal, pink-free mother. On the first weekend of August, Pinky was seen again by multiple people — many of whom claim a second pink dolphin was present!

In an interview with WFLA News Channel 8, Bridget Boudreaux said she was on a pontoon boat with her husband when she spotted the two pink dolphins. "My husband was driving the boat and one jumped 20 feet from our boat," she said. "We were just astonished. I couldn't get my camera out fast enough."

In 2015, it was reported that Pinky may have been pregnant, so her reported swimming companion might have been her own pink calf.

The pigment in pink dolphins is typically credited to albinism. Clearwater Marine Aquarium's senior rescue biologist, however, said that researchers can't be sure. Kerry Sánchez explained that Pinky's skin color may be the result of genetic variation. "What they get from mom and what they get from dad means they can look a little bit different than that perfect image we expect," he said.

Regardless, those onlookers were extremely fortunate to see a pink dolphin out in the wild. Sánchez said, "Seeing an animal that is extremely light in color is not something we would normally expect to see. And in my full time here, we've never seen an animal that looks like that."