Rare albino whale puts on a show off Australian coast - via Chad Arment

It may seem straight out of Moby Dick, but a rare white whale is thrilling Australians off the eastern coast.

The albino humpback has been nicknamed "Migaloo" by researchers who track his movements.

Albino whales are rare and Migaloo is the only documented all-white humpback adult, according to Peter Harrison, director of marine ecology research at Southern Cross University in Australia.

Migaloo was first seen in 1991 when he was a juvenile, Harrison says, and researchers believe he is now in his 20s.

The humpbacks are on their annual migration from their breeding grounds along the Great Barrier Reef back to feed in the Antarctic.

Photos: Albinos of the wild kingdom

"Everyone here is quite excited," says Oskar Peterson, who runs a website that tracks sightings of white whales around the globe. "We see him almost every year now, but it's still front page news when he turns up."

Migaloo is expected to pass by Cape Byron, the easternmost point in Australia, in the coming hours after passing by Surfer's Paradise, Peterson says. Spotters of the whale share sightings at his website

Continued:  http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/27/world/australia-rare-whale/index.html