For the past decade, Pinkie the dolphin has captivated Louisiana residents and visitors. While some dolphins may have pink bellies, Pinkie is completely pink from nose to tail. Scientists speculate that Pinkie has albinism, a genetic condition in which a dolphin is born without the pigment needed to give its skin its normal gray color. Meet Pinkie, the spectacular pink dolphin. For years, he has roamed the waters of Louisiana, astonishing countless onlookers with his peculiar skin color.
Dolphins usually have pink bellies, but completely pink dolphin bodies are incredibly beautiful. Scientists theorize that pink dolphins have albinism, a genetic defect in which their bodies do not produce the normal chemicals that pigment their skin gray. However, aside from his partially closed eyes and color, Pinkie is a completely normal dolphin.
However, until very recently, no one had been able to confirm Pinkie’s gender, although many assumed she was female simply because of her color. Only last year did someone get close enough to take photos of Pinkie in action during mating season. Captain Erik Rue, captain of a charter boat, recorded snapshots of her swimming around Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Although they have known each other since 2007 (he says that Pinkie is a curious dolphin that swims up to 3 meters from his boat), in 2015 he swore that he finally discovered that Pinkie is indeed a female. “I took a bunch of photos of her mating and it turned out she was a female,” she told ABC News. “I think I’m the first one who saw her and I know I’m the first one to take pictures of her.”
Now that we’ve solved the mystery of her gender, we have a new one: Is Pinkie pregnant? Who knows, maybe some pink dolphins are waiting for us!
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