A white whale has been dragged to a beach in the far east of Victoria, which has raised questions about whether it could be the well-known white whale, Migaloo.
Key points:
- The whale was found on a beach in Mallacoota only accessible by water
- A scientist says the weather could have turned white skin, but it looks like a real white whale
- Photographs or genetic samples will be used to determine if the whale is Migaloo
Local resident Peter Coles was able to talk about the whale carcass on the local Mallacoota radio station on Saturday morning.
The carcass was on a beach only accessible by water, so he grabbed the kayak and went out for a look.
“I could see him from afar, but he was a very weird color, he looked like a piece of white and the closer I got, I could see the streaks on his belly, so he was obviously a whale,” he said.
“I looked closely and took some pictures of it in case anyone had to identify it.
“It was pretty spectacular, it looked like this beautiful kind of white marble sculpture.
“It was unusual, so unusual and he took some fantastic photos, in fact.”
The white whale has been dragged to a beach in Mallacoota which can only be accessed by water. (Photographed by: Peter Coles)
Is it Migaloo?
Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta is one of many people who want to know if the carcass is really that of the well-known Migaloo white whale, which has been seen regularly off the coast of Australia since 1991.
But he stressed that there were other possibilities.
“The first thing we think of when we hear about a white whale is the world’s most famous white whale, Migaloo,” he said.
“After seeing the photos, it looks like it’s actually a white whale, but we still don’t know if it’s Migaloo.”
Dr. Pirotta said the weather could also have turned white skin.
It is currently unclear how long the carcass has been there.
“Over time, if the animal has passed out, the skin can wear out and degrade and as a result, they can turn white,” he said.
“But looking at the pictures, it looks like it’s a really white whale.”
The whale carcass offers scientists the opportunity to learn more about an animal that is often inaccessible. (Provided by: Peter Coles)
Dr. Pirotta said photographs or genetic samples would be used to determine if the whale is Migaloo.
“If we get a really good photo of the queue, we could match it maybe with Migaloo or we could find out if it’s actually Migaloo or not, so this will be the first step,” he said.
“The next thing would be to take genetic samples, which will be taken anyway because scientists and authorities will do a whale necropsy, which is essentially an autopsy, to better identify and understand what has happened here.
“Did the animal die of natural causes or did the animal have some kind of negative interaction at sea? We just don’t know at this stage.”
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Dr. Pirotta said it shouldn’t take too long to determine if the whale was Migaloo, but regardless, it was an important finding for scientists.
“We can learn more about an animal that is often inaccessible, swims large geographical areas and has a relatively invisible life to humans,” he said.
“This is an opportunity for us to learn more, to collect samples and for the world of science to learn collectively from this individual to better understand humpback whales, but also to learn more about our marine environment.”
Coles said the whale’s carcass did not appear to have suffered any obvious damage.
“I would have expected it to have been bitten by sharks and other creatures, but it didn’t seem to have been too affected by any predation,” he said.
“It’s a little sad to see them lying on the beach like that.”
Pirotta said people should stay out of the water with the whale carcass on the beach and should not touch or interfere with it.
Victoria’s environment department said significant sanctions were applied to anyone taking an unauthorized sample, or memories such as teeth, of a dead whale or dolphin.
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