Brown Whale Sighting

Wed, 02 Aug 2017

By Eco Ranger Tessa

Brown & Orange Whale Sighted near Moreton Island

On today’s whale watch cruise, the first sighted Humpback whale surprised guests. This juvenile whale was relaxing in the waters north of Moreton Island, and was very unique as approximately 25% of its back was brown/orange in colour. Most people have heard of the rare albino white whale, Migaloo, however this whale surprised us as it’s the first one we’ve seen with brown/orange colours covering most of its back! We suspect that this is a result of some form of orange whale lice.

Each individual whale is unique, as they all have different markings and scratches on their bodies. This helps researchers to identify each whale, under research purposes. The unique brown/orange whale thrilled guests as it began breaching during the first few minutes of being in the whale watch grounds!

We then continued our journey to Cape Moreton, where we were soon delighted by four very curious Humpbacks. These Humpbacks gracefully swam only meters from the Jet, and felt very comfortable within our presence. It was such a mesmerizing moment, being so close to these majestic mammals.

About the author

Eco Ranger Tessa

Tessa is one of the many Eco Rangers at Tangalooma Island Resort's Marine Education and Conservation Centre. Tessa often joins in on the Whale Watching Cruise as the on board Eco Ranger commentator.

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