pink dolphin

Spoiler for Pinky Dolphin1:

Spoiler for Pinky Dolphin2:

Spoiler for Pinky Dolphin3:

Spoiler for Pink Dolphin:

This albino dolphin is pink.

The unique bottlenose - first spotted in Lake Calcasieu,
an inland saltwater estuary in Louisiana, by boat captain Erik Rue, 42,
in 2007 - has surfaced again.

And comments from heavy-hitters including the US
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society suggest it’s real.

Tourists are flocking to the lake in hopes of seeing the rare mammal.

Mr Rue said “Pinky” “looks like it just came out of a paint booth”.

"I just happened to see a little pod of dolphins,
and I noticed one that was a little lighter,”
he told London’s Telegraph newspaper.

"It was absolutely stunningly pink.

"I had never seen anything like it.
It's the same color throughout the whole body.”


“Pinky” is believed to be the only pink dolphin in the world,
and has “reddish” eyes.
It is usually spotted with its dark grey mother.

There are only 14 other known albino dolphins in the world,
all of them white.

"The dolphin appears to be healthy and normal other than its colouration,
which is quite beautiful and stunningly pink,” said Mr Rue,
who estimates he has spotted Pinky more than 40 times.

"The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail
and has reddish eyes indicating its albinism.
The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws.

"As time has passed the young mammal has grown and
sometimes ventures away from its mother to feed
and play but always remains in the vicinity of the pod.

"Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected
by the environment or sunlight as might be expected
considering its condition, although it tends to remain below
the surface a little more than the others in the pod."

Albinism is a genetic condition caused by a lack of melanin.
It is seen in many species, including humans.

The international attention focused on the dolphin has led to
warning from conservationists.

Senior biologist with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Regina Asmutis-Silvia said people should not get
too close to the dolphin.

"It is a truly beautiful dolphin but people should be careful,
as with any dolphins, to respect it - observe from a distance,
limit their time watching, don't chase or harass it,” she said.

There have only been two other documented
sightings of albino bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico,
according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association,
both of all-white mammals and both in 1994.

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