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White whale spotted off Gold Coast sparks speculation about iconic humpback Migaloo

A rare white humpback whale has been spotted off the coast of Queensland on Monday with enthusiasts excited at the prospect of it being Australia’s famous whale, Migaloo

Ryan Ramgobin
Tuesday 11 August 2015 07:44 BST
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A sighting of the legendary white humpback whale, Migaloo, from 2009
A sighting of the legendary white humpback whale, Migaloo, from 2009

On Monday morning, a white humpback whale was spotted by a television helicopter off the coast of Queensland, with many immediately thinking it could be the famous humpback whale, Migaloo.

If the sighting is confirmed, it will be the first sighting of the iconic whale since his migration up the east coast of Australia last year.

Two sources currently believe this is not Migaloo. White Whale Research Centre founder Oskar Peterson told AAP that the whale in question was too small and too white. “It is probably Migaloo Junior”.

SeaWorld marine sciences director, Trevor Long, concurs. He told ABC Radio, “it’s an animal that was first sighted in 2011 and it’s been dubbed the ‘Son of Migaloo’… Migaloo is a full adult male and this animal that we saw today is a lot smaller.”

The sighting is significant because according to 9News, it is believed there are only two white whales in the thousands of whales that migrate along the Gold Coast.

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