http://www.migaloowhale.org/
http://www.shakamarlin.com/migaloo.htm
Migaloo ~ the only documented all-white humpback whale in the world.
First sighted on 28th June, 1991 passing Byron Bay - Australia's most easterly point - Migaloo is an adult male member of the east Australian humpback population, suspected to number around 8-10,000 individuals in 2007.
The name means "white fella" in the language of the Australian Aboriginal community of the Hervey Bay area in Queeensland.
This is cute:
Migaloo's turtle cousin
Monday, 3 July 2006
While Migaloo keeps to the southern Queensland waters, he has a relation of sorts in the Tropical North - an albino turtle who was found on Mackay's Blacks Beach about three months ago. There were grave concerns for the welfare of the cute white turtle who was shipped off to the Great Barrier Reef Marina Park Authority's Reef HQ in Townsville to be monitored and cared for. Turtle carer Paul Groves is pleased to report that the little fellow is doing very well indeed. After arriving at Reef HQ weighing 24g and measuring 51mm in length, he's now a whopping 140g and 105mm long. "He's actually outgrown his tank," Paul explains.
This is funny:
When an eligible whale leaves his bachelor pod
June 28, 2004 – The romantic notion of a white whale hit unprecedented amorous heights yesterday when Migaloo, the world's only identified pale humpback, paraded what is thought to be a new girlfriend off the state's Far North Coast.
Value to science:
Because the whale is so visible and easily identified, Pacific Whale Foundation researchers have been able to gather a lot of data about its sightings - without the use of radio tags. This has helped researchers better understand the migratory pathways of humpback whales in the South Pacific.
For example, in 1992, there were nine reliable sightings of Migaloo, which made it possible for Pacific Whale Foundation to plot the whale's migratory movement along the east Australia coast during the northward migration to the breeding areas, as well as its southward migration at the end of the season to its feeding area.
