Strange Creatures

In one of the right whale watching tours, we were amazed to see a white calf. Here we present the features of this rare specimen.

As usual, from May to December, the peninsula is visited by countless travelers yearning to see the southern right whales. These incredible mammals never miss such date. Every year, they approach the gulf to bear their calves.

But there is a really strange phenomenon that may rarely be contemplated: the white calves. One has to be there at the right moment in the right place. One of the lucky witnesses was our photographer, Jorge, who happened to be making a photographic production on board a whale watching motorboat. And there it was: a young white calf that stood out from the group of whales.

Unlike what one may think, these specimens are not albino. For this to happen, certain characteristics uncommon for right whales should be given.

In fact, the whitish appearance of these specimens takes place due to the lack of pigmentation in the skin which causes the epidermis to reflect the fat the animal has. This gives the calf a shocking white color. As time goes by, many specimens change their white color into a light brown shade. But they never acquire the dark tone of their peers.

Dr. Roger Payne, founder and president of the Whale Conservation Institute, has catalogued and recorded data about several white southern right whale specimens in his research reports about the population of cetaceous visiting the peninsula in various seasons.

Unaware of its singular features, the calf Jorge was photographing would play with its mother offering a real show for all viewers.

Karina Jozami Jorge González

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