CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - Move over, Moby Dick, a new all-white marine mammal has the full attention of Virginia’s Eastern Shore with the arrival of an extremely rare dolphin.
WBOC has received multiple reports and videos of a possibly albino young dolphin in the waters off of Chincoteague.
On Friday, Aug. 15, Daisey’s Island Cruises shared a video on social media catching a glimpse of the white dolphin calf.
Captain Hunter Leonard of Cowboy Cruise Company sent two videos to WBOC featuring the remarkable marine mammal Saturday.
(Hunter Leonard, Cowboy Cruise Company)
(Hunter Leonard, Cowboy Cruise Company)
Another video, from Captain John of Snug Harbor Boat Tours, shows the dolphin breaching to the delight of nearby onlookers.
(Captain John and Snug Harbor Boat Tours)
According to the U.S. Navy, bottlenose dolphins are the most common dolphin species to visit Virginia’s coastline. Their numbers vary by season, according to officials, with the highest numbers occurring in the late summer months as waters warm. Captain Leonard tells WBOC the white dolphin is a bottlenose.
Chincoteague is no stranger to unique animal visitors. The world-famous Chincoteague Ponies are rumored to have originated from a Spanish shipwreck in the 16th century, according to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, or Saltwater Cowboys. In October of 2023, WBOC reported on the sightings of a flamingo on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Experts have yet to weigh in on the young white dolphin and how long we can expect it to splash around in Accomack County waters, but the once-in-a-lifetime marine mammal sighting will no doubt continue to draw the attention of Chincoteague neighbors and visitors alike.
You can report dolphin sightings in the Chesapeake Bay area for researchers at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science here.