For over the past decade, Pinkie the dolphin has been wowing residents and visitors in Louisiana. While some dolphins can 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 their skin its normal gray color. Meet Pinkie, the legendary pink dolphin. For years, she’s roamed the waters of Louisiana, shocking countless viewers with her unique skin color.
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Dolphins generally have pink bellies, but completely pink dolphin bodies are incredibly rare. Scientists theorize that pink dolphins have albinism, a genetic defect where their bodies do not produce the normal chemicals that pigment the skin grey. However, other than her eyes not opening all the way and her color, Pinkie is a completely normal dolphin.
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Until very recently, however, nobody has been able to confirm Pinkie’s gender — while many assumed that she was female simply because of her color, only last year did somebody get close enough to take pictures of Pinkie in action during the mating season. Captain Erik Rue, the captain of a charter boat, captured snapshots of her swimming around Lake Charles, Lousiana.
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Although they’ve been acquaintances since 2007 (he says Pinkie is a curious dolphin who swims as close as 10 feet to his boat), in 2015 he swore that he finally figured out that Pinkie is, in fact, a she. “I’ve taken a ton of pictures of her mating and it proved she’s a female,” he told ABC News. “I believe I’m first one who saw her and I know I’m the first one to take pictures of her.”
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Now that we’ve solved the mystery of her gender, we have a new one: is Pinkie pregnant? Who knows: maybe we’re due for some baby pink dolphins!
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