A rare albino dolphin has been spotted off the coast of Virginia with incredible footage of the animal swimming being shared on social media.
The species was spotted by a tour group
The rare animal was spotted by passengers on a tour boat traveling around Chincoteague Island.
A video from the boat was shared by Snug Harbor Marina on Facebook on August 15, showing the unique species swimming in California waters.
It was filmed by the tour guide
A white bottlenose dolphin is seen in the clip filmed by tour guide Captain John Shields.
It’s spotted swimming up to the surface with its fin poking in and out of the water as tourists watch its repeated movements in amazement.
It was the ‘most amazing sight’
In the caption of the video, the tour company wrote, “Captain John from Snug Harbor Boat Tours goes on a grand expedition around Chincoteague Island to find the rare albino dolphins!”
“Captain John said it was the most amazing sight in the past 50 years!!!” they added of the discovery in the comment section.
There have only been seen a few times in centuries
The company further shared that the albino dolphin seemed to be a ‘full-grown’ one, noting that there have only been ‘a few sightings in the past hundred years.’
Speaking to People, Captain Shields, who has been navigating the waters for over 50 years, said seeing the dolphin was ‘one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen.’
The tour group was a lucky one
It seems the tour group who got to see the albino dolphin were incredibly lucky.
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The tour company told the outlet, “On most of his tours tourists will spot the wild Chincoteague ponies or maybe a few of the many native birds or maybe even stingrays but albino dolphins is one for the history books.”
Albinism in dolphins is a genetic mutation
According to Columbia University, albinism in dolphins is caused by a genetic mutation that affects the production of melanin, which creates the lack of pigmentation.
This lack of color will show the dolphins to have white skin and pink eyes, and they’re often sensitive to sunlight.
Only a handful have been spotted
The rare species has only been spotted a handful of times across the world.
The university reported, “Conservation efforts are underway to protect albino dolphins and their habitats, including the establishment of marine protected areas and research programs focused on their behavior and ecology.”
