Byron Bay: An Australian white humpback whale named Migaloo is seen off the coast of Byron Bay,... [+]
Migaloo’s dazzling pearly skin has made him the most famous white whale in the world—and he has just been spotted again this year off of Australia’s east coast near Byron Bay. He is en route to the warmer waters of Queensland on a journey that started at his feeding grounds around Antarctica.
Migaloo (Aboriginal for “whitefella”) was photographed for the first time on June 28th, 1991 and was determined to be an adult male after a small piece of his skin was sampled and genetically fingerprinted. Until 2004, it was thought Migaloo was the only white humpback whale, but another white whale calf was spotted in Australian waters, so now it seems there are at least two in this area of the world.
Researchers are unsure if the whale spotted this week was Migaloo, or the other white whale sometimes called “Migaloo Junior,” but using the tail shape for identification, some are sure this is indeed Migaloo. Humpback whale expert Tish Franklin from Southern Cross University has seen Migaloo frequently since 1992 and is sure the tail identification is accurate. Others, such as Sea World director of marine sciences Trevor Long says he thinks it is the smaller "Migaloo Junior." Nearly every year the same debate re-emerges as whale researchers disagree over which white whale they are seeing during the migration season.
The white whales are protected by a special act of the Queensland government that enforces a 500m exclusion zone so onlookers cannot get too close. With Migaloo moving at 110 km (68 miles) a day, he will reach his breeding ground at the end of September and soon be out of sight of whale watchers. Now with social media, white whale fans can track Migaloo photos and movement at the White Whale Research Centres’s Twitter account, @migaloo1.
