Beautiful Picture of Rare Pink Dolphin: Fact Check

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Amazing Picture of a Rare Pink Dolphin

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Extremely Rare and Beautiful Pink Dolphin Spotted in USA

Fact Check:

A beautiful picture in circulation on social media and image sharing websites purports to show a Rare Pink Dolphin spotted in USA. It appears to show the pink dolphin swimming alongside another normal dolphin. Many viewers thought the picture is photoshopped and not real. However, it does indeed show a rare pink Dolphin (Albino) spotted in Louisiana, USA.

Pinky, the Rare Pink Dolphin

The beautiful mammal named Pinky appeared in Lake Calcasieu, Louisiana (USA), stunning both visitors and experts. The pictures of the Bottlenose Dolphin were captured by Captain Erik Rue, who studied the rare pink dolphin after spotting it in 2007. The local charter boatman described seeing Pinky with reddish eyes, swimming with a pod of four other dolphins.

Albino Dolphin

The pink coloration of Pinky, the Bottlenose Dolphin is due to Albinism. Blood vessels show through its pale skin devoid of Melanin pigment, which would otherwise be covered by the usual grey color of Dolphins. Such a case of albino Dolphin is rare, and because they are sensitive, the chances of the dolphin calves surviving sunlight are quite less. The associated pigment Melanin also plays an important role in eyesight, lack of which can cause vision problems. The video below shows some glimpses of Pinky, the rare pink dolphin, which has been around for about 8 years.

Related Species

For your information, there’s a different species, Amazon River Dolphin, which is sometimes called ‘Pink River Dolphin’. The species of toothed whale is however not Albino. Some of the adult dolphins (mostly males) acquire either solid pink or mottled grey/pink color as they age.

An Amazon River Dolphin, sometimes called Pink River Dolphin

Their body color changes with age and some adults turn pink as a result of repeated abrasion of their skin surface. Unfortunately, these Pink Amazon river dolphins are endangered for concerned reasons like water pollution and loss of habitat due to expanded development. The video below shows some Pink River Dolphins, describing their danger.