The Pacific's famous white whale called Migaloo is often found cruising eastern Australia's coastline this time of the year, but the creature was sighted not where he usually turns up.
Scientists reported that they have spotted Migaloo in New Zealand, in the Cook Strait, a route recognized as a migratory path for humpback whales that swim north from the Antarctic.
Nadine Bott, from the New Zealand Department of Conservation, said that the marine animal's color, prominent spine and "crooked finger" dorsal fin give strong indication that the sighted creature was indeed Migaloo. The whale was spotted swimming with dark-colored humpacks.
The whales leave Antarctica passing through Cook Strait and end up north of New Zealand. The conservation department has noted that it has seen a big increase in the number of whales compared to last year. Ninety-whales were seen last year. In just three weeks this year, there have been 125 sightings.
Researchers used Sunday's sighting to take the first ever dart biopsy of the famous whale's skin layer, which will then be compared with a DNA record that was obtained by scientists from the Southern Cross University in Townsville, Australia. They gathered sloughed skin from the water behind the white whale in 2004.
"By comparing the shape of the dorsal fin it does indeed appear that the white whale spotted through the Cook Strait in New Zealand is in fact Migaloo," SCU's Peter Harrison said. "So that's quite exciting, because as far as I'm aware that's the first time that Migaloo has been sighted in New Zealand waters."
Migaloo is known to escort females. It was in fact speculated that the whale has fathered other white humpbacks. Harrison said that if Migaloo was able to father a whale, there is a high chance that the calf will also be white albeit experts have not yet found evidence that the whale indeed produced an offspring.
Harrison, however, said that since Migaloo is an albino, he is likely to be infertile or may have a compromised immune system.
White humpbacks are very rare scientists have so far documented only four. The government of Australia has banned boats and aircraft from entering the area where Migaloo, who is now 24 years old, is photographed or recorded.
"Recent scientific work has doubled the known ages of humpbacks, so a whale we thought lived to around 48 is now known to live to around 96," Harrison said.
