Whale watchers got a special treat this month off the coast of Argentina when they spotted a rare white southern right whale. Agustín Baraschi caught magnificent footage of the striking white whale and shared the video to his Instagram page.
According to NOAA, southern best whales live throughout the Southern Hemisphere, and they migrate in between high-latitude feeding areas and low-latitude breeding grounds. These baleen whales usually have “a stocky, black body” with white patches on the chin and belly.
Southern right whales have large heads (frequently with noticeable callosities), and they do not have a dorsal fin. NOAA says they can be up to 56 feet long, weighing up to 176,000 pounds.
Baraschi was fortunate enough to see a stunning “blanquita” swimming next to another southern right whale of normal coloration. The white whale is much smaller than the darker-colored one, perhaps showing it’s a mother/calf pair. The overhead drone video footage reveals the 2 whales swimming quietly, the white whale wiggling around a bit and raising its tail fin out of the water.
It’s possible the white whale has albinism, or it could have another hereditary condition that results in white or light-colored skin, such as leucism.
See an uncommon white southern right whale here:
NOAA says the whaling industry took a toll on southern best whales, and though some populations have actually recuperated, others have not.
“Current hazards to southern ideal whales consist of entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, industrialization of coastal and marine habitats that can result in environment deterioration, ocean noise, and modifications in water conditions and dynamics due to environment modification,” NOAA says.
Whale watchers found an unusual white southern right whale off the coast of Argentina. See Agustín Baraschi’s lovely footage.