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Rare She Blows: White Humpback Whale Spotted

Rare She Blows: White Humpback Whale Spotted

A rare white humpback whale has been spotted just off the New Zealand coast - one of only four reported in the world.

The whale was seen by Department of Conservation researchers during an annual whale survey in Cook Strait, which is between New Zealand's North and South Islands.

It is thought to be 'Migaloo' - an Aboriginal word for "white fella" - who was first seen off the eastern Australia coast in 1991 and has been spotted there almost every year since.

The boat of researchers had approached a group of two whales but it was only when they got close enough that they were able to see one was white.

Boat skipper John Gibbs said: "I thought: wow, that whale is white. That is amazing."

A skin sample for DNA analysis was taken from the whale, which will be compared to a sample taken from Migaloo previously. The scientists will also be able to find out whether the whale is albino or whether its whiteness is due to colour variation.

Survey leader Nadine Bott said: "Migaloo is the most famous, and another white humpback whale was spotted in Norway this year.

"Migaloo is thought to have fathered two white calves which have been making appearances along Australia's eastern coast. One has been named MJ, short for Migaloo Junior."

New Zealand has been assessing the recovery of the humpback whale population since commercial whaling ended in 1964.

This year's survey found 122 during the four-week count compared with 106 three years ago.