Some folks taking part in a chartered fishing trip on Calcasieu Lake in Louisiana two weeks ago were treated to very rare sight -- an albino bottlenose dolphin.
Apparently, the pink coloration arises from blood vessels just below the surface of the dolphin's skin. Ordinarily the skin itself would be grey and thus the effects of the mammal's vasculature on its presentation to the world would be concealed.
This was the fourteenth recorded sighting of a pink dolphin, the first being in 1962; only two others have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico (to which Calcasieu Lake connects). Few albino dolphins are born to begin with, and those that are probably are at a survival disadvantage owing to an obvious lack of camoflauge as well as to the poor eyesight and marked photosensitivity characteristic of albinos of any species.
But enough zoology; this young creature needs a name. "Pinky" is not only aggressively uncreative, it's already taken. "Commie" isn't very nice. "Bubblegum," "Mingo" (as in Flamingo) and "Rosie" might be acceptable. Come to think of it, there aren't a whole lot of things I canthink of outside the plant world that are naturally pink in color. Cotton candy? Shrimp (to which flamingos, in case you didn't know, owe their own color)? I have no clever plays on the film franchise starring Peter Sellers, but someone might.
In any case, you can see more photos of this oddly alluring animal here.
Comments
Cotton Candy ... I'll bet that's what the sharks call it. (sorry, but it's all I could think of)
Posted by: The Ridger | July 9, 2007 10:32 AM
Frankenstein.
...ok maybe not
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 9, 2007 12:55 PM
How about 'Floyd'.
Posted by: dc | July 9, 2007 2:04 PM
for such a rare dolphin it needs a nice name:
How about Nani (hawaiian for beautiful)or coral or even Nai'a (hawaian for dolphin)
Posted by: dolphingirl | July 9, 2007 6:04 PM
dc, that's great! I also agree in principle with dolphingirl, though.
My roommate my freshman year of college had a boa constrictor named Floyd, also after the band. That was when they were still touring (they played in Sullivan Stadium near Boston in the spring of 1988, the volume must have been 120 decibels if it was a peep; this was the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour where they toted around that giant inflatable pig...but I digress, and not gracefully).
Except for the fin, that dolphin, while elegant, rather look's like a dog's wang. I'd be loath to look in that realm for witty names, though.
Posted by: Kevin Beck | July 9, 2007 6:25 PM
Hi there,
We provide the Swim with the Dolphins programs and I have never have seen a "Pink Dolphin". The photos are so cool, and we have a post about this story on my blog too. I plan to link to your blog for my readers to see. If you find out more information about the "Pink Dolphins" please pass it on to me. JM
Posted by: John McNamara | July 12, 2007 12:06 PM
Hi! I think Nani was a good name. Love your blog post btw. Actually, I was so inspired I wrote a evolutionary comment on it on my blog: What can pink dolphins teach us about human evolution?
Thanks!
Andreas @ SharpBrains
Posted by: Andreas Engvig | July 18, 2007 3:51 PM
this looks like the pink dolphins that are found in the Amazon Orinoco river. Check this out.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.amersol.edu.pe/ms/7th/7block/jungle_research/new_cards/14/pinkdolphin.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.amersol.edu.pe/ms/7th/7block/jungle_research/new_cards/14/report14hm.html&h=549&w=789&sz=85&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=gLkzRblNuDaxhM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2Bpink%2Bdolphins%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26ie%3DUTF-8
Posted by: susan | September 29, 2007 10:27 PM