"Magical moment"

Divers film extremely rare baby albino humpback whale

(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot))

Divers recently had a magical moment off the coast of an island in the southern Pacific: they discovered a playful, very rare albino humpback whale baby doing laps in the water with its mother.

Simon Lorenz, who runs the company Insider Divers, reported that he had seen something white emerge from the water during lunch on the coast of Vava'u - a group of islands belonging to the Kingdom of Tonga.

Lorenz and some fellow divers approached the creature underwater and eventually determined that it was an albino humpback whale pup resting with its mother.

The divers spoke of a "magical moment" after their encounter with the white humpback whale.(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot))

What is albinism?

Albinism is a congenital disorder in which the body does not produce melanins (pigments, i.e. dyes; note), which are responsible for the coloration of skin, hair and eyes. Affected animals are referred to as albinos.

"The whale's facial features were much clearer than those of other whales, as they normally have a mottled appearance," said Lorenz. It was a "magical moment".

Adult albino whales very rare
Although humpback whales can live up to 90 years, adult albino humpback whales are "very rare", according to Lorenz, as their bright appearance makes it difficult for them to avoid predators.