A young albino dolphin swimming beside its mother was an exceptionally unusual sight that the crew of a Blue Ocean Whale Watch boat witnessed while off the coast of California in Monterey Bay. Kate Cummings, a team member, was successful in getting pictures and video of the exceedingly unusual marine animal.
It turned out to be a 3-year-old Risso dolphin, initially spotted in 2014, when it was just a few-month-old calf. The whale-watching team immediately recognized it and they were more than happy to see it in a very good health condition.
“Albinism in the wild is incredibly rare, and I believe this is the only known albino Risso’s dolphin in the eastern Pacific,” Cummings told Live Science. “Seeing the dolphin felt incredibly special because it’s such a rare sighting.I saw this same dolphin two years ago – now it is around three years old, but is still with its mother.”
The dolphin’s albinism is the cause of its peculiar skin tone. an uncommon disorder that develops when the cells fail to create melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color. Albinism has been seen in over 20 marine species, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, however it is very uncommon among dolphins.
Even albino animals may look cute, this rare condition brings a lot of health and social problems for them with poor eyesight the most frequent one. They’re also frequently rejected by their groups and their unusual looking make them extremely vulnerable in front of predators.
“Albino animals may be more prone to skin problems because there’s no melanin to protect the skin from ultraviolet rays, and they can have poor eyesight and hearing,” Cummings said.
“As far as we can tell, this juvenile appears healthy.”
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