Photo: WAYNE FEWINGS

About 14,000 humpback whales migrated between Australia and Antarctica each year. Among them is a white humpback, nicknamed Migaloo. Migaloo, or  “white fella” in an Aboriginal language, was first spotted in 1991 and may be the most popular humpback whale in the world, being the subject of several web sites (see also here and here) and having a Facebook page, (of course) as well as over a dozen Youtube videos.    The last official sighting of Migaloo was by a cargo ship crew on August 10 about 10km north of Pipon Island in Far North Queensland, according to the White Whale Research Centre.

Migaloo, who is often referred to as the “only all white humpback whale,” seems to have lost that title ths week as a new white humpback calf has been sighted off Queensland, Australia.  The white calf, believed to be just a few weeks old and as yet unnamed, was seen playing with a pod of dark humpbacks near Cid Harbour at the Whitsunday Island.  There is no way to know whether the calf is related to Migaloo without DNA testing.

White Whale spotted in North

Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing the story along.