Rare white humpback in Australia may be 'Son of Migaloo'

SOUTHPORT, Australia, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Australian whale watchers were working Monday to determine whether a white whale spotted off the coast was famed white whale Migaloo or the "Son of Migaloo."

James Chambers shared a video on YouTube showing a white humpback whale breaching the surface of the water near Hastings Point.

"As it turns out, it does appear to be the famous Migaloo. What a privilege to see such a majestic and amazing animal making the trip north along with the many others," Chambers wrote in the video's description.

Migaloo first came to the public's attention in 1991 as the first known white humpback whale. He was last seen last year during his migration up the east coat of Australia.

The whale was recorded about 11 a.m. Monday in Queensland waters north of the Gold Coast.

Trevor Long, marine sciences director at Sea World Gold Coast, said he disagrees with Chambers' identification. He said the whale appears to be a different albino humpback previously dubbed "Son of Migaloo."

"It's the smaller of the two white whales that we have here on the east coast of Australia," Long told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "It's an animal that was first sighted in 2011 and it's been dubbed the 'Son of Migaloo'."

"Migaloo is a full adult male and this animal that we saw today is a lot smaller," he said. "It looks robust, the swimming pattern is good."

Oskar Peterson, who has been collating Migaloo information since the 1990s and runs a Twitter account dedicated to tracking his migration patterns, said he could not make a definitive identification from the available images.

"The photos coming in are inconclusive," Peterson told Mashable Australia. "He seems to be very shining white, while last year he had yellow coloring markings on him."

"He got ran into by a trimaran so he has some scars on the left side, and he also has an unusual hook on his back," Peterson said. "In the photos and the YouTube footage on the beach the hook isn't as prominent as Migaloo's is."