'Disbelief' as Rare Albino Dolphin Spotted Swimming in Africa

A tour operator was left in disbelief after he spotted an extremely rare albino dolphin swimming off South Africa.

The owner and tour operator of Raggy Charters, Lloyd Edwards, was on a cruise with family and friends celebrating his son's wedding, when they spotted a pod of 200 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins swimming in Algoa Bay, in the Eastern Cape.

Then, he saw a flash of white among the pod.

After looking closely, he realized it was a month-old albino dolphin calf.

Edwards, who has been working on marine cruises in Algoa Bay for 31 years, told Newsweek: "When you've been doing this for such a long time, you think you've seen everything, and then this thing just pops up. The initial reaction is disbelief, like it can't be."

Albinism is a genetic disorder that causes a complete or partial absence of melanin in the skin. In animals, albinism causes them to appear completely white.

It's a very rare condition, and gives animals a striking appearance in the wild.

Edwards said they had previously seen a few pink dolphins, and a few semi-white ones, but never anything like this.

Edwards said at first he thought it must be a leucistic dolphin, rather than an albino.
Leucism is not the same as albinism. This genetic mutation causes partial loss of pigmentation in the skin, which results in white and pale skin colorations.

An albino animal usually has much paler and lighter skin colorations. The best way to tell albinism and leucism apart is by the color of the eyes, although Edwards said the only way to know "for sure" is a DNA test.

Due to the dolphin's strikingly white appearance it was very likely to be an albino, but without seeing its eyes close up, it's hard to be sure.

The dolphin's eyes can't be seen in the photographs shared by Edwards, however albino animals are typically extremely sensitive to light, and it wouldn't be unusual for it to have its eyes closed for this reason.

Albino dolphins have never been observed in African waters before, Edwards said in a Facebook post.

In fact, only a few individuals have ever been spotted since the 1950s.

"As albinos usually stand out from the rest of the school, it makes them an easy meal for predatory sharks. This one was always swimming in the middle of the school and was being protected by its mother and the rest of the adults," Edwards said on Facebook.

There is also a concern that albino individuals will be targeted for capture by aquariums.

Raggy Charters is currently launching a competition to name the albino calf. Once a name is chosen, the winter will receive a free cruise.

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