Renowned experts rule out teen's sighting and encounter with highly elusive, rarely sighted, Albino Shark in Port Douglas waters

SIGHTING

Michael Warren

Editor

Email Michael
Last updated:
A 17 year-old Mossman high school student thought he came close to a sighting of a rare marine creature recently. Screenshot: Newsport

A rarely spotted marine creature that goes virtually unseen by most people in their lifetime has lived up to its ghostly reputation with hopes now dashed a recent encounter could have proved the sighting of a lifetime.

Just days ago 17 year old Mossman High student Nick Mynott was fishing in a creek offshoot near Four Mile Beach for Barramundi or Mangrove Jack when a moving object caught his eye in the water.

Thinking he was witnessing something truly spectacular and extremely rare, the student, who has future aspirations of becoming a commercial QANTAS pilot quickly took to recording the encounter on his mobile phone.

There, just metres away the student made a quick guess that he had stumbled across a baby albino shark, a sea creature marine biologists and ocean lovers could only dream of and hope to see once in their lifetime.

The short video showed the creature peacefully cruising a calm mangroves area.

A short time later Newsport took the footage to local three experts who cast their eye over the two short videos.

Sadly, the sighting wasn’t what the student hoped for.

“I’ve had two marine biologists look at the footage and they both concurred that, in their belief it’s a small black tipped reef shark,” a Quicksilver staff member in Cairns told Newsport.

“We then passed the footage onto (highly renowned shark expert) Richard FitzPatrick who also suggested the creature was a Black Tip reef shark.”

Mr FitzPatrick provided a suggestion as to how the shark appeared so white.

Typically, there’s a nuisance that in dark, muddy waters the skin of a shark or such can appear white, or light in colour.

Conversely in clearer waters, a shark or other marine species can often appear dark in appearance etc.

Albino sharks are listed as critically endangered. Experts said Albino sharks have a condition termed leucism, which results in reduced pigmentation which causes their white skin appearance.

You can view Nick's video here: 

Support public interest journalism

Help us to continue covering local stories that matter. Please consider supporting below.

Got a news tip?

Send a news tip or submit a letter to the Newsport Editor here.

Comments

Comments are the opinions of readers and do not represent the views of Newsport, its staff or affiliates. Reader comments are moderated before publication to promote valuable, civil, and healthy community debate. Visit our comment guidelines if your comment has not been approved for publication.