Animal

Incredibly rare albino dolphin is filmed frolicking off the Californian coast despite fears that its striking appearance makes it a target for predators

This is the stunning video featuring an albino dolphin swimming off the Californian coast.

Not only is the dolphin vibrant leaping through the waves, but it almost seems fluorescent when it’s underwater.

And swimming alongside its grey-toned friend, it really stands out.

This is the moment an incredibly rare albino dolphin is potted swimming with a pod off the Californian coast line

The rare animal with its unusual pigment was filmed swimming by Kate Cummings at the Monterey Bay, California

Ms Cummings said the dolphin, pictured, was the only albino Risso’s dolphin in the Eastern Pacific

This video was shot by Kate Cummings at the Monterey Bay, California.

Ms Cummings said: said: ‘Albinos animals in the wild are incredibly rare, as far as we know this is the only albino Risso’s dolphin in the Eastern Pacific.

‘Seeing the dolphin felt incredibly special because it’s such a rare sighting.

‘This breed can be identified by the unique pigment and scarring they collect – they get scars from each other’s teeth.

‘I saw this same dolphin two years ago – now it is around three years old, but is still with its mother.’

Risso’s dolphins are rare but the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species considers this species ‘data deficient’ due to insufficient information on population status and trends.

Albinism has been observed in more than 20 species of oceangoing mammals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), but appears to be rare in dolphins.

Animals with the genetic trait are not believed to be inherently weaker or less capable than regular dolphins, though their colour can make them easier targets for predators.

Dolphins with especially severe albino traits can sometimes suffer from impaired vision – though the rarity of the creatures mean that extensive research is yet to be carried out, and theories often have to be extrapolated from albino humans.

Sightings of a baby albino off the Louisiana coast in 2007 caused a flurry of excitement, as did an adult albino, who was found swimming in the Mediterranean, near Italy, in the summer of 2014.

Ms Cummings said she first saw the albino dolphin around two years ago when it was swimming with its mother

The dolphin was swimming alongside a small pod of two other at least two other dolphins near the Californian coast line

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