An albino whale nicknamed "Gallon of Milk" has been spotted off the Mexican coast in the Pacific Ocean, the first sighting of the animal since it was a calf in 2009.
The whale's albino condition is caused by a gene mutation that results in a sharp reduction or lack of pigment, a rarity
among marine mammals, according to Discovery News. Mexico's National Commission of Natural Protected Areas made the re-discovery of Gallon of Milk.
The Commission was also able to record Gallon of Milk on video.
Gallon of Milk was part of an annual count of migrating gray whales off the Pacific coast of Mexico, near Baja California, noted Discovery News. The commission told the website that this year's count totaled 2,211 gray whales.
The Weather Network reported that Gallon of Milk was spotted by the Commission with her calf, which is not an albino.
The Commission counted the whale in the
Ojo de Liebre lagoon, Mexico News Daily reported on Friday. Ojo de Liebre lagoon, located in Mulegé in Baja California Sur, is part of the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to the website.
The lagoon is a winter breeding ground for gray whales and they've been monitored there by the Commission for the past 20 years.
Researchers found a rare white humpback whale in Cook Strait, New Zealand, in 2015, according to the Weather Network. That whale was believed to be Migaloo, a white humpback usually seen off the coast of eastern Australia, one of four known white humpback whales in the world.
Several people celebrated the return of Gallon of Milk on social media.
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