Experts have examined the carcass of a dead white whale seen on a remote Victorian beach, which they have confirmed is not Australia’s iconic Migaloo.
Marine biologists from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Victory Planning (DELWP) confirmed that the whale is not Migaloo after determining the sex of the animal.
DELWP said the albino carcass razed to Mallacoota Beach, east of Victoria, is a female and Migaloo is a male.
The whale that crawled to a Victorian beach. (New) Marine biologists from the Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) confirmed that the whale is not Migaloo. (new)
“Officers have examined images of the dead humpback whale in Mallacoota and confirmed that it is a subadult female,” said Peter Brick, commander of the DELWP regional agency.
“I urge anyone in the area not to approach less than 300 meters from the carcass.”
An albino whale has crawled in Mallacoota, east of Victoria. (Supplied) A whale carcass dragged to Mallacoota, Victoria. (new)
Vanessa Pirotta, a wildlife scientist at Macquarie University, said there are likely to be other white whales in the area, but this may not be white.
He said his dead body could have degraded and bleached over time.
“There are potentially other white whales in the eastern hunchback population,” he said.
“Around the throat, we can see barnacles stuck to what appears to be dark skin.
“So it was a normal-looking whale? Or is that whale, in fact, a white whale?”
On Sunday many people visited the beach to see it.
“It’s pretty spectacular,” one resident said.
Wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta said there were many questions surrounding the whale. (New) Migaloo, the white humpback whale, in Hervey Bay, Queensland in 1991. (Dr. Wally Franklin)
DELWP and Parks Victoria staff will further evaluate the channel this week.
The carcass was initially feared to be that of the world’s most famous white whale, and wildlife scientists believed the location was in line with Migaloo’s migration pattern.
The albino whale has been missing for two years after losing its tracking chip.
Australian marsupial listed as endangered