Whale Watching-Albino Style
By Matt J. Weiss, August 27, 2008 @ 02:00 AM (EST)
I just returned from whale watching in the North West Pacific. I watched an awesome show as a pod of transient orcas feed on harbor purposes and then taught their young how to hunt by tail flipping a poor, defenseless common murre 12 feet in the air repeatedly.
I did not think much could top that big animal experience-but then I heard about an albino whale shark in the Galapagos and an albino humpback in Australia. Now that would be a photo opportunity of a lifetime. Considering reports of how the sharks stood out so much, it seems that rarity of the albino sharks is not only because of the rarity of the condition but also because it stands out to the few predators it has.
But these guys have made it so big that only humans are a threat now. Hopefully, they don't end up as a "research" project for Japanese "scientists" or in a bowl of soup for a wedding. These whales are no more important to science or the earth than the colored counterparts, but they would be very, very amazing to photograph!
I did not think much could top that big animal experience-but then I heard about an albino whale shark in the Galapagos and an albino humpback in Australia. Now that would be a photo opportunity of a lifetime. Considering reports of how the sharks stood out so much, it seems that rarity of the albino sharks is not only because of the rarity of the condition but also because it stands out to the few predators it has.
But these guys have made it so big that only humans are a threat now. Hopefully, they don't end up as a "research" project for Japanese "scientists" or in a bowl of soup for a wedding. These whales are no more important to science or the earth than the colored counterparts, but they would be very, very amazing to photograph!
Comments
Be the first to add a comment to this article.
You must be logged in to comment.
Related Content
January 9, 2012, 6:17PM
DPG's Matt Weiss takes a look back at an exciting year of underwater photography more
September 1, 2011, 7:00AM
Dense shoals of sardines run through Philippines every year more
December 16, 2009, 6:15PM
The Sea Shepherd boat Steve Irwin engaged in a high-powered water cannon battle with a Japanese whaling ship on Monday more
May 25, 2009, 1:19AM
Ningaloo Reef may be a nursery for whale sharks, say scientists who are still striving to work out the full life cycle of the more
March 3, 2009, 2:00AM
A bright pink Albino dolphin was spotted in Lake Calcasieu, Louisiana more
Sponsors
Dive Industry News
What's New
