Boaters spot incredibly rare all-white sea creature — possibly first in world. See it
A group of tourists were aboard a charter boat on New Year’s Eve in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Phuket when something caught their eye. Next to the boat, a pair of rare Omura’s whales were swimming together — and one of them was completely white.
A passenger captured the “mysterious” creature on video, and shared it with officials, according to a Jan. 5 Facebook post from ThaiWhales, an environmental conservation organization. The “groundbreaking report” marked a “first-of-its-kind and exciting marine discovery,” the post says.
The sighting is the first time an all-white Omura’s whale has been seen in Thailand, and it could be the first reported sighting in the world, Thon Thamrongnawasawat wrote in a Jan. 6 Facebook post.
Omura’s whales are the most recently identified species of whales, experts from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation said. The creatures were first recognized in 2003 from dead corpses, and they were seen alive for the first time in 2015.
The small baleen whales have long and thin bodies, making them appear almost “snake-like,” the conservation said. Their dorsal fin is “small and strongly hooked or curved,” and they have a single ridge on the front of their heads.
Omura’s whales are known to inhabit tropical and warm seas worldwide, and they can grow to be about 40 feet and 44,000 pounds, according to experts.
An extensive search in Phuket
After the all-white creature was reported to Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, officials launched an extensive survey of the surrounding areas in search of the creature, according to a Jan. 6 Facebook post.
In a Jan. 8 update, officials said their search for the creature had been unsuccessful, but they had located at least four other Omura’s whales. The creatures were seen swimming and feeding near the Phi Phi Islands, Honeymoon Island and Coral Island.
Videos shared on Facebook by Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, a specialist with the department, show the creatures.
One of the whales spotted by experts measured about 30 feet, officials said.
Phuket is an island in southwest Thailand.
Google Translate and Facebook were used to translate posts from Thon Thamrongnawasawat and Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.
This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Boaters spot incredibly rare all-white sea creature — possibly first in world. See it."
