GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in 
tags: albino dolphin, mammals, zoology
Image: Captain Erik Rue.
Captain Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service, located south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, has discovered himself to be a sudden celebrity because he took photographs of a pink dolphin recently. Rue and a boatload of guests saw the young dolphin on a charter trip on June 24.
El capitan Erik Rue se ha hecho famoso por haber captado unas fotografias de un delfin albino ( Rosa ) en Louisiana.
Rue published images of the pink dolphin on his website.
In a telephone interview last week, Rue said he has seen the extraordinary dolphin again.
"He is in a channel," remarked Rue. "Our dolphins tend to stay (in our estuary)."
Rue said the area in which the dolphin has been spotted is rich in food sources for dolphins and the same ones tend to inhabit the area.
In the commentary on his Web site, Rue wrote;
It appears to be an uncanny freak of nature, an albino dolphin, with reddish eyes and glossy pink skin. It is small in comparison to the others it is traveling with and appears to be a youngster traveling with mama. After spotting the beautiful mammal cruising with a pod of four other dolphins, Rue and his guests Randy and Peyton Smith and Greg and Sam Elias of Monroe, LA idled nearby while watching and photographing the unusual sight for more than an hour.
Our expectations are high that we will see this amazing mammal again as it was in an area frequented by the gentle mammals and one confirmed report has it being spotted at least a month earlier in a nearby location. If it does turn up again, it will be a welcome surprise to our guests.
Is this a result of all the pollutants in the area?
Life Science
Education & Careers
Comments
Is that red thing on his head an eye? Can he see out of those?
Posted by: Brandon | July 20, 2007 6:28 PM
yes, in fact that is an eye, and it is likely that he can see out of his eyes, although the sunlight will make him (her?) go blind fairly quickly.
Posted by: "GrrlScientist" | July 20, 2007 6:36 PM
I know I am dating myself, but wasn't there a whole story line on the original tv show "FLIPPER" that dealt with an albino dolphin?
Posted by: katchaya | July 20, 2007 7:37 PM
I knew I didn't hallucinate that....
http://www.tv.com/flipper-1964/the-white-dolphin/episode/148510/summary.html
Posted by: katchaya | July 20, 2007 7:47 PM
Aww, will it really go blind? Can a blind dolphin survive? Maybe some aquarium should catch the mom and baby and put them in captivity to help keep the baby from going blind.
Posted by: Adrienne | July 20, 2007 7:57 PM
amazing ...
so there are no pink dolphins in captivity ...
i thought i had read that somewhere ...
Posted by: subcorpus | July 20, 2007 8:33 PM
There are river dolphins in the amazon and in Asia that are almost blind, and rely on their echolocation to hunt and communicate.
Regular dolphins also use echolocation... I'd think it could survive a while with just echolocation couldn't it?
I'm guessing the albino dolphin's biggest threat is predators (sharks), not going blind.
Posted by: Oran_Taran | July 20, 2007 9:40 PM
katchaya - I think we might have been less worried about you if you had hallucinated that. How are you able to remember Flipper episodes? Have you seen a psychiatrist about this?
Bob
Posted by: Bob O'H | July 21, 2007 12:57 AM
Bob, some people have eidetic memories.
At least, that is how I remember it.
Posted by: Torbjörn Larsson, OM | July 21, 2007 12:59 PM
Re: Adrienne's comment about catching the dolphin. If a blind wild dolphin isn't able to survive, I don't see captivity as an improvement. And certainly not for the sighted mother!
Posted by: Scott M | July 21, 2007 2:54 PM
You know what? I'm not trying to be rude here, but some of your comments are just dumb. What's wrong with remembering Flipper episodes and what does that have anything to do with seeing a pyschiatrist? And "captivity" to a blind dolphin would give it the opportunity to still live without being in danger. It could be fed every day and live a happy life.
Posted by: Pepsi | March 4, 2009 9:08 PM
Umm pepsi i agree that some of the comments are dumb but im sorry i have to dissagree with you on the captivity thing because in my view point wild animals should remain wild though yes i feel sorry for the dolphin if it does go blind but i don't view captivity as a happy life, maybe long but not happy. not to mention if it is captured and held in captivity it would be put on display to see such a beutiful animal would be taken advantage of and the people who come to see him would not apreciate him as much as they would if they were to go out in the lake or ocean where ever he is
Posted by: Rick | March 7, 2009 7:10 PM
it is so awsome i mean lol
Posted by: james | June 16, 2009 11:29 AM