Rare White Humpback Whale Spotted Near Norway

YouTube/Screen capture

While the chance to gaze upon a pod of majestic humpback whales swimming wild and free would certainly be enough to stir delight in any nature-loving seafarer, spotting Moby Dick's doppelgänger is another thing altogether.

Recently, while sailing off the coast of Norway, British maritime engineer Dan Fisher caught a glimpse of one of the ocean's rarest creations -- an all-white humpback whale. Lucky for the rest of us, Dan was able to scramble up his boat's mast and snap some photos of the animal before it disappeared again into the deep.

Dan took the opportunity to give the special creature a name: Willow the Whale.

"Everyone I have told about it hasn't believed me until I show them the pictures," Dan told The Daily Mail. "It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime spot. I saw a lot of humpback whales this year but nothing as spectacular as this one."

Experts say that Willow likely has a condition, similar to albanism, that causes a lack of pigmentation in the skin of animals. It is believed that only two other humpbacks have been observed in the wild with such a distinctive all-white appearance.

Tags: Animals | Norway | Oceans | Whales


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