Recently, tourists discovered a Risso’s white dolphin in the Dana area, off the coast of California, United States.
Recorded video shows, the white dolphin stands out among Risso’s group of about 40 dolphins. Between 11,000 and 16,000 Risso’s Dolphins are known to live near California and the Pacific Northwest.
Jessica Roame, director of training at Newport Coastal Adventure, which provides sightseeing trains for tourists, said: “Members of the train had the opportunity to admire this incredible and rare sight. A magnificent adult white dolphin stands out among a school of about 40 dark people. gray fish. Risso dolphins are born gill gray and tend to lighten up as they age. Due to the scratches that Risso dolphins get when scratching their teeth in their bodies, it is the typical social behavior of Risso dolphins.
Moreover, another part of the reason comes from the scars of the beak, the tentacles of the squid, which are the main food source of the dolphin. However, the white dolphin this time has a completely different color, very unique. “
In viral photos and videos of their encounter at sea, the dolphin’s blue-white color is not due to normal maturation. Its coloring is reminiscent of the white whale from the legendary literary novel Moby Dick.
According to Jessica Roame, it’s not clear if the dolphin has albinism, causing the body to lose its primary color. But its ability to survive in the wild will definitely not be as high as others as color is too important to create opportunities for predators.
Fortunately, Risso’s dolphins live in groups, moving in groups of around 40 to 50, which is a plus to help protect their unusual companion. It is a dolphin whose adults can reach 4 meters in length, sometimes forming huge supergroups with thousands of individuals. Their estimated lifespan is at least 35 years.
The crew said they had only seen the white dolphin twice before, once last summer and once in 2017.
Newport Coastal Adventure runs whale watching and wildlife tours around the Southern California coast. Risso dolphins are often found in deep water near land. Living in temperate and tropical waters around the world, Risso’s dolphin hunts primarily at night.
