Rare white whale spotted in Aussie waters: 29-08-2008
A rare albino whale has been swimming in the waters of Western Australia.
Locals have named the whale Wilgi Manung, the aboriginal name for a white whale.
The whale, which is only eight weeks old, will swim to the Antarctic for the summer feeding season in one month's time.
Readers of PerthNow were invited to name the 5m long whale, believed to be one of only ten in the world.
More than 150 names were submitted including names such as Moby, Whitey and Casper.
Two other suggestions included Colin, after the lost humpbank whale that had to be euthanased near Sydney, and Matthew, a tribute to the navigator and cartographer Matthew Flinders.
The whale studying company Naturaliste Charters, who observe the progress of whales in the region, chose the winning name of Wilgi Manung.
Australia has a long historical link with whales which were first observed by the Aborigines. The coast has since seen a tradition of whaling and, in modern times, whale conservation, such as the Great Australian Bight Whale Sanctuary.
Whales were for many years believed to be fish, however they actually belong to the cetaceans group of marine mammals.
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