Just over a month ago, divers diving off the coast of Darwin(Galapagos) were stunned by the sight of a 33ft albino whale shark.
Both creatures are believed to be white because of a lack of pigmentation in the skin, but they are expected to gradually turn to a darker color as the years go by.
The female whale shark, believed to be the only one of its kind, was first spotted by diver and naturalist Antonio Moreano in the Galapagos islands when he took a group of tourists on a nature cruise. From the size and shape of its fins, Mr. Moreano identified the albino animal as a female.
According to a newspaper article in the Daily Mail, Mr. Moreano reported that “all whale sharks found in Darwin’s Archare big fat females, we have never seen a male or I haven’t. There is a big mystery about our whale shakes: they all show up at Darwin and Wolf from June until November and go in circles around the arch dive sites.”
The whale shark is the largest known fish and can measure 50 to 60ft in length and up to 10 tons in weight.
Usually a blend of blue sprinkled with white spots, the whale shark ranges all tropical waters and is considered harmless to humans.
