Rare white dolphin glimpsed in Monterey Bay

(Screenshot from YouTube video uploaded by Nancy Black, Monterey Bay Whale Watch)

A rare white dolphin has been spotted in the waters of Monterey Bay, Calif.

Experts from Monterey Bay Whale Watch saw the young Risso’s dolphin on Jan. 25 and confirmed that it is the same white dolphin that was first seen off Monterey on Aug. 28 2014.

The dolphin is either albino, or leucistic, according to the experts. Whereas albinism is caused by a reduction in melanin, leucism is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment.

“It is hard to tell unless we get a look at the eye color, but this little one kept coming to the surface with eyes closed,” explained Monterey Bay Whale Watch, in a post on its Facebook page.

However, the dolphin appears to have a pink eye, according to experts.

A short YouTube video shows the white dolphin swimming with normal-colored gray dolphins.