Migaloo the whale: Rare albino humpback spotted off Australian coast

Thousands of humpback whales in Australia migrate to Antarctica to feed and breed each year

A rare albino humpback whale, thought to be the famous Migaloo, has been spotted off the Australian coast.

Whale watchers caught a glimpse of the white mammal in the waters of New South Wales heading north on Monday.

Each year between April and November, thousands of humpback whales in Australia migrate to Antarctica to feed and breed.

The exact timing of the migration period can vary from year to year depending on water temperature, sea ice, predation risk, prey abundance and the location of their feeding ground.

The majority of humpbacks in Australian waters migrate from June to August, and back towards the south from September to November.

Migaloo was first spotted in 1991 passing Byron Bay and experts believe he was born in 1986.

He is considered to be one of the most famous whales in the world and may be the only pure white adult humpback in nature, according to the Pacific Whale Foundation.

The first photograph of Migaloo was taken through a telescope from a distance of over 5km (3 miles) away.

It was blurry and unclear if he was all white. However, in 1993 researchers at the foundation encountered Migaloo in Hervey Bay, Queensland, and confirmed that he was white.

After the discovery, there were calls from the public to “name the whale”.

It was subsequently decided that the whale should be named by the elders of the local aboriginal collective in Hervey Bay.

They named the whale Migaloo, which means “white fella” in several aboriginal languages.