white whale – Is there really such thing as a white whale?

One of the most famous books in the world, Moby Dick, is about the hunt for a mysterious white whale. But if you look at pictures of whales (except for the arctic beluga whale), they’re grey. So would it have been possible for Moby Dick to be white?

Yes! In fact, there’s a white whale swimming in the ocean right now. His name is Migaloo, and he’s a rare albino humpback whale.

Take a close look at the colour of your skin. Everyone’s is a little bit different, but your skin is brown, or tan, or pinkish, or freckled, because it contains different colours of pigments. The colour of your hair and eyes is determined the same way.

But sometimes an animal is born without pigment. Their skin, hair, or fur is white, and their eyes are often pink because a lack of colour in the iris lets the blood vessels show through. You commonly see tihs in white mice or rabbits, but it’s found all across the animal kingdom.

Albino animals have been found in invertebrates, snakes, mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians. White lions and tigers are popular zoo attractions. So why don’t you see more examples of albinos in the wild? Simple: most animals need to blend in with their surroundings to survive. Prey need to be able to hide, and predators need to be able to sneak up on their prey. In most cases, a white animal may as well be shouting “here I am!”

So finding an albino animal remains a rare and exciting discovery. Just like Migaloo.