Rare she blows: White humpback whale spotted off New Zealand

A rare white humpback whale has been spotted just off the New Zealand coast - one of only four reported in the world. The whale was seen by Department of Conservation researchers during an annual whale survey in Cook Strait, which is between New Zealand’s North and South Islands. It is thought to be ‘Migaloo’ - an Aboriginal word for “white fella” - who was first seen off the eastern Australia coast in 1991 and has been spotted there almost every year since. The boat of researchers had approached a group of two whales but it was only when they got close enough that they were able to see one was white.

Migaloo is the most famous, and another white humpback whale was spotted in Norway this year.

Survey leader Nadine Bott

A skin sample for DNA analysis was taken from the whale, which will be compared to a sample taken from Migaloo previously. The scientists will also be able to find out whether the whale is albino or whether its whiteness is owing to colour variation. Migaloo is thought to have fathered two white calves which have been making appearances along Australia’s eastern coast. One has been named MJ, short for Migaloo Junior.

I thought: 'wow, that whale is white. That is amazing’.

Boat skipper John Gibbs

World white humpback