One of the Rarest and Strangest Dolphins in the World Observed

Researchers from the Sunshine Coast University have discovered a black and white bottlenose dolphin in Hervey Bay, "a whale heritage site on the Queensland coast." The team found that the dolphin, named Speckles, is extremely rare and features a genetic mutation that causes partial loss of pigmentation, leading to its unique color, unlike the typically gray bottlenose dolphins. Researcher Georgina Holmes told Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "It was getting close to the end of the day, and we were about to head back when we saw a huge leap from this dolphin. We don't know if it's male or female; we believe it has a genetic mutation." She added: "It's very exciting; we looked and found that no one has previously documented the presence of these dolphins in Australia." It's worth mentioning that Speckles was spotted in September 2022, and since then, researchers have been studying its rarity. They learned that this was one of six cases in the world where photographic evidence of Speckles dolphins has been captured, and the second recorded in the Southern Hemisphere.