Albino dolphins are rare. They are funny and cute, but they have little chance of survival
Brazilian marine biologists have discovered a unique species of white dolphin in Brazilian waters, although such dolphins were rarely seen only off the coast of South Africa. The dolphin was noticed by scientists quite by accident, because albino dolphins are usually very shy dolphins and rarely jump out of the water, unlike their gray counterparts.
The chief biologist and head of the research team, Camilla Meirelles Sartori, first saw the amazing white dolphin in early October this year, but they managed to photograph him only in November.
Photo: infuture.ru
“We were very surprised,” she says, “his color was significantly different from the rest of the dolphins in the group. At first, when we noticed him, we did not immediately realize that this is also a dolphin, a rare little albino dolphin."
The researcher says the little dolphin swam alongside an adult dolphin, apparently with his mother. She was the usual gray. Typically baby dolphins stay with their mothers until they are 6 months old, then they stop drinking their mother's milk and become independent.
Albino dolphins, like other animals, are white in color due to the lack of the hormone melanin in their body. White dolphins have very little chance of survival, since they are killed by predators, and besides, due to the special structure of their bodies, they often end up in fishing nets of poachers. Another reason for their death is that they have a weak immune system and they are susceptible to various diseases. Water pollution with industrial waste also leads to their rapid death.
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