A rare white dolphin, dubbed Casper, has been delighting whale watchers in Monterey Bay, California. The striking swimmer has been known to the bay for over six years and is a firm favorite among marine mammal enthusiasts.
Eric Austin Yee, a naturalist with Discovery Whale Watch, confirmed that Casper, a Risso’s dolphin, has been showing up for about six seasons, often with a pod comprising hundreds of dolphins. “It has been exclusively here in Monterey Bay,” said Yee, who saw Casper himself on March 3 and managed to snap several photos.
Yee is uncertain whether Casper is an albino or leucistic, while Black claims it is the latter, as Casper’s eyes are not red, though there remains some uncertainty.
Sadly, white dolphins, especially albinos, have shorter lifespans than their pigmented peers.
A lack of melanin can place white dolphins at risk of skin issues owing to sun exposure. Adds Yee, “Also, being bright white in the ocean makes you highly visible, kind of being like a giant ‘EAT ME’ sign, you are highly visible to predators.”
Risso’s dolphins typically prefer offshore waters where they can reach their prey of choice—squid—at depths of 1,000 feet (approx. 300 meters). Yet, Monterey Bay has one of the deepest underwater canyons off the West Coast into which dolphin pods swarm to feast on spawning squid.
“Sometimes we’ll see Casper for a couple weeks in a large group with a thousand or more dolphins, or in subgroups within the same school,” Black described. “Nobody else has spotted Casper outside Monterey Bay.”
