Massive White Whale in Thailand Stuns Boaters
Thailand's Phi Phi Islands offer stunning natural beauty and crystal-clear waters home to a wide range of wildlife. Throughout the region's history, however, one animal hasn't been spotted in the ocean waters until now.
Tourists aboard a boat in the Andaman Sea were treated to quite a show when a mysterious white whale emerged from the ocean and surfaced for air. Yutthapong Damsrisuk, chief of Hat Nopparat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, spoke to The Nation about the seemingly unprecedented sighting. It was the first time a white whale has been spotted in the Krabi province and possibly the first time one has ever been seen in Thailand. Officials weren't able to identify the exact species of the animal, though some have speculated it could've been a Bryde's whale or Omura's whale.
Beluga whales, though popularly known for being white, reside in the Arctic. Whatever species of whale it was, the ocean creature likely had leucism, a condition that causes the partial loss of pigmentation, leading to white or pale coloring. Because of the extra special nature of the sighting, boaters in the area were instructed to exercise caution after it dove back down into the sea.
The lucky spectators aboard the boat can be heard expressing their surprise and joy at the unexpected visitor. At first, the kids in the video believed the animal to be a penguin or a dolphin before realizing it was a whale.
Perhaps the end to Captain Ahab's search for the great white whale in Moby-Dick lay somewhere in the Andaman Sea.
