Incredibly rare sight on popular beach stuns: ‘Mother Nature at her best’
Rare footage has emerged of a young humpback whale swimming alongside its mother at a popular beach.
The video showed the newborn baby swimming at Cabarita Beach, near Tweed Heads, on the New South Wales north coast on Wednesday.
The video was shared on Instagram by Brandan Trudinger, a content creator who runs professional photography and video production company Ninefive Creative.
The clip showed the animal and its mother swimming side by side, with the mother then extending her left fin to allow her baby to get closer.
“I saw what I think is a rare albino humpback whale,” Mr. Trudinger wrote.
“From what I’ve heard, these kinds of sightings are quite rare. Are there any whale experts out there who can share some details?”
Social media users praised Mr. Trudinger for capturing the impressive images, with some clarifying that it was not an albino, but a standard color scheme.
‘Sorry to burst the bubble, this is a normal newborn. They are very light gray as [they are] “Born,” someone wrote.
The incredible footage, uploaded to social media on Wednesday, showed the baby whale swimming side by side with its mother (pictured)
Others were impressed by the impressive spectacle.
“The footage is clear. Beautiful images,” someone said.
“Very cool images,” said another.
One of them added: ‘Mother Nature at her best.’
Others said Trudinger was very lucky to have encountered the whales at a very intimate moment during their migration.
‘Amazing find. Always a great day when you see a mother and her newborn,’ said a third.
Humpback whale babies are usually very light or gray in color after birth, but after a few days the animals begin to darken.
Adult female humpback whales usually give birth to one calf every two to three years.
When pregnant, the animals migrate to warmer waters, including the Queensland coast, to ensure a safe birth of their calves.
The whales return to Antarctica after the calf has developed a layer of fat to protect itself from the colder water.
Calves can weigh as much as 3,600 kg at birth.
