Dead Humpback Whale Palm Island, Queensland, Australia

August 10, 2011

By Darren Cartwright

Dead whale may not be Migaloo – expert

A DEAD white whale found floating off Palm Island near Townsville is not the famous albino humpback Migaloo.

After viewing photos and video footage of the carcass spotted by fishermen, Whale Research Centre founder Oskar Peterson says it has black spots – and Migaloo is all white.

Fishermen spotted sharks feeding on a white whale carcass off Palm Island, near Townsville, earlier this week.

Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey will head to the scene today to determine if the whale is the famous Migaloo.

But Oskar Peterson believes Migaloo is still alive.

He says he’s heard anecdotal evidence from Aboriginal elders on the island that it’s not the albino specimen, who’s the star of the annual whale migration along Australia’s east coast.

Mr Peterson said Migaloo was 100 per cent white, unlike other white whales that had spots on them.

He said identification would be relatively easy – a photo of its tail would reveal all, or scientists might opt for a DNA test.

“All whales have a different tail, it’s like their finger print,” he said today.

“In 2004 we took DNA so if we can do a test on its DNA we would know straight away.”

Mr Patterson said all whales went belly up when they died, and as they were white underneath that might have led people to believe it was Migaloo.

Migaloo was first spotted near Byron Bay in 1991.

Aboriginal elders from the Hervey Bay area named him Migaloo, meaning white fella.

m.news.com.au

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A WHALE originally thought to be Migaloo and washed up near Townsville has become dinner for tiger sharks.

The headless mostly white-coloured carcass of a whale was discovered in Onion Bay, on the southwest side of Palm Island, by local fishermen and has attracted a large group of sharks to the area.

Still okay: A whale originally thought to be Migaloo (pictured) has been washed up dead at Palm Island near Townsville.

Witnesses saw about 10 tiger sharks, up to 4m in length, ripping shreds off the body.

Palm Island resident Roland Coutts was fishing in the bay on Monday when they came across the sharks attacking the large carcass.

‘‘It was a pretty amazing sight to see,’’ he said.

Mr Coutts said at first they had mistaken the whale for a large rock.

His passenger Ivy Fulford said it wasn’t until they saw the sharks that they realised it was a whale. ‘‘At first I thought it was a big rock but then I saw the big sharks on it,’’ Ms Fulford said.

Mr Coutts said the incident had been a big talking point on the island yesterday.

Department of Environment and Resources Management assistant general manager marine Richard Quincey said they were currently investigating what species the whale was.

cairns.com.au

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