Rare Albino Dolphin Spotted Off The Florida Coast [Video]

Just a month after the Inquisitr reported about a Japanese fisherman netting an ultra-rare albino dolphin, we now have reports of a similar spotting in the Florida coast. According to KHOU, the snow-white, albino dolphin was spotted at an estuary off Florida’s east coast in the second week of December. According to the KHOU report, sightings of albino dolphins are rare, and in the past 50 years, there have been only 15 confirmed sightings of these rare creatures.

A video posted to YouTube by a volunteer at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, confirms that the animal in the video is indeed an albino dolphin. The volunteer, identified as Danielle Carter, later told Florida Today that the video was shot on December 10 at the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County. However, FWC officials have not confirmed the actual location where the video was shot — probably a move to save the rare animal from garnering unwanted attention from people.

In an email statement, Brandon Basino, a spokesperson for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in Florida, confirmed the same.

“We thought it was worth sharing due to their rarity but we are not able to give out an exact location for the sake of the animal’s safety. We did not ask for a specific location for this very reason.”

We have embedded the two-minute video, which shows the white colored albino dolphin surfacing several times. Do watch till the end, where the dolphin is more clearly visible.

While albino dolphins are rare, scientists are aware that such animals are known to exist across 20 different species of dolphins, whales, and porpoises. Just like in the case of humans, albino dolphins are the result of a genetic mutation that slows or in most cases, stop the production of melanin pigments — the agent the gives mammals their skin color.

As mentioned earlier in this piece, there have only been 14 recorded sightings of albino dolphins (Bottlenose) since 1962. The latest sighting would take the count to 15, confirms the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Albino dolphins are also known as pink dolphins. Very little is known about these animals, again due to their extreme rarity.

As for the albino dolphin caught by Japanese fishermen in November, the fisherman did not kill the animal due to its extreme rarity. It does not make economic sense either to kill such an exotic animal thanks to its price, which according to estimates, is pegged at an astronomical $500,000!

[Image Via YouTube]