A white whale has washed up on a beach in far-east Victoria, prompting questions about whether it might be the well-known white whale, Migaloo.
Local resident Peter Coles heard about the whale carcass on Mallacoota's local radio station on Saturday morning.
The carcass was on a beach only accessible by water, so he grabbed his kayak and headed out to take a look.
"I could see it from a distance, but it was a very odd colour, just looked like a lump of white and the closer I got, I could see the striations of its belly so it was obviously a whale," he said.
"I had a good look and got some photos of it just in case it needed to be identified by somebody.
"It was pretty spectacular, it looked like this beautiful sort of sculpture out of white marble.
"It was just unusual, so, so unusual and made for some great photos, actually."
Is it Migaloo?
Macquarie University wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta is one of many people keen to know if the carcass is indeed that of the well-known white whale Migaloo — who has been regularly spotted off the coast of Australia since 1991.
But she stressed there were other possibilities.
"The first thing we think of when we hear of a white whale is the world's most famous white whale, Migaloo," she said.
"Having seen photos, this very much does appear to be in fact a white whale, but whether it is Migaloo, we are yet to know."
Dr Pirotta said weathering could also have turned the skin white.
It is currently unclear how long the carcass has been there.
"Over time, if the animal has passed, the skin can become worn and weathered and they may turn white as a result of that," she said.
"But looking at the images, this does very much appear to be a genuinely white whale."
Dr Pirotta said photographs or genetic sampling would be used to determine if the whale is Migaloo.
"If we can get a really good photo of the tail fluke, we could potentially match that to maybe Migaloo or we could work out if that is in fact Migaloo or not, so that'll be the first stepping point," she said.
"The next thing would be taking genetic samples, which will be taken anyway because scientists and authorities will undertake a whale necropsy — which is an autopsy essentially — to best identify and understand what has gone on here.
"Has the animal died of natural causes or has the animal had some sort of negative interaction at sea? We just simply don't know at this stage."
Dr Pirotta said it should not take too long to determine if the whale was Migaloo, but regardless it was an important find for scientists.
"We can learn more about an animal that is often inaccessible, swims large geographical ranges, and has a life relatively unseen by humans," she said.
"This is an opportunity for us to learn more, to collect samples, and to have the science world learn collectively from this individual to better understand humpback whales but also learn more about our marine environment as well."
Mr Coles said the whale carcass didn't appear to have sustained any obvious damage.
"I would have expected it to have been chomped by sharks and other creatures, but it didn't seem to have been affected too much by any predation," he said.
"It's just a bit sad to see them lying on the beach like that."
Dr Pirotta said people should stay out of the water with the whale carcass on the beach, and should not touch it or interfere with it.
Victoria's environment department said significant penalties applied to anyone who took an unauthorised sample, or souvenirs such as teeth, from a dead whale or dolphin.
