Infant albino humpback whale calf spotted in Ningaloo during migration to Kimberley

An albino humpback whale calf has been spotted in Ningaloo by a reef excursion company, with witnesses saying it was the perfect case of being in the right place and time to see the biological rarity. The calf was spotted last Tuesday morning by a group on a whale shark tour with local tourism company Live Ningaloo. Marine biologist Tash Logvinskaia was on board the boat and said humpbacks use the reef as a corridor. “So we were lucky enough to be there when they were passing through,” she said. The mother came up to the surface and its entirely white offspring appeared next to it. “It was so small — it still had the dorsal fin folded over, which means it would only have been a few days old. They’re only three to four metres when they’re born,” Ms Logvinskaia said. It is common to find large white patches on humpback whales but true albinism is incredibly rare. “There have only been a handful of albino humpbacks spotted around the world. Both parents need to carry the gene and even then there is only a 25 per cent chance of the baby being albino,” Ms Logvinskaia said. The Ningaloo coast is an essential destination for many humpback mothers and calves as part of an annual migration from Antarctica. They use the corridor as a passage to reach the Kimberley. The whale has been deemed a special interest animal, so there will be increased efforts to protect the infant given it is already under threat from predators such as orcas. “Boats will be limited from approaching it. You don’t want to put extra attention on the whale — especially when it’s such a newborn,” Ms Logvinskaia said. The sighting is the first of its kind since a young white whale was spotted near Dampier in 2018.