Rare Pink Dolphin Filmed Off Oman's Coast Raises Questions About Its Species and Unusual Colour

A pale, pink-tinged dolphin swimming among darker companions off Muscat has spread rapidly across social media. The footage has raised two questions that remain unresolved: what kind of dolphin is it, and why does it look pink?

The animal was reportedly filmed near Qantab Beach, on the outskirts of Oman's capital, on Thursday, 15 October.

Why an Omani Writer Suggests It Could Be a Risso's Dolphin

Omani writer Abbas Al Zadjali examined the footage in an Arabic-language column for Al Shabiba. He suggested that the dolphins looked more like Risso's dolphins, pointing to their rounded heads and dorsal fins.

His assessment is a proposed identification, not confirmation from a marine specialist. He stressed that identifying a species from a distant recording still requires specialist examination.

That distinction matters because identifying the animal would help narrow the possible explanations for its appearance. Different dolphin species can become pale as they mature, but a pink tint alone does not establish which species is being filmed or what caused the colour.

How Age and Scars Can Turn a Dolphin Pale

If the animal is a Risso's dolphin, age and accumulated scarring could help explain its pale appearance. According to NOAA Fisheries, the species lightens from black, dark grey or brown to pale grey or almost white as it ages.

Adults are usually heavily scarred, with tooth-rake marks from other dolphins and markings caused by animals including squid, cookie-cutter sharks and lampreys. Mature adults swimming just beneath the surface often appear white.

Those characteristics offer context for Al Zadjali's suggestion, but they do not confirm that the Qantab animal is a Risso's dolphin. Nor does NOAA's description explain the pink tint visible in the circulating footage.

The animal's apparent colour is also not enough to establish that it has albinism. Its identity and the reason for its unusual appearance remain separate questions.

Footage From Thailand Added to the Confusion

Al Zadjali also reported that some versions of the circulating video included separate footage of pink humpback dolphins filmed in Thailand. Those sequences should not be treated as evidence identifying the animal seen off Oman.

Combining recordings from different locations can make them appear to document the same sighting. In this case, the Thai footage introduces a dolphin known for its pinkish appearance without establishing that the Qantab animal belongs to the same species.

The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, also known as the Chinese white dolphin, becomes pinkish-white as it matures. Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department says these dolphins are born dark grey.

The department attributes their pink colouration to blood vessels near the skin expanding to release heat when the animals are active. This explains the appearance of those dolphins, but it is not a diagnosis of the animal filmed near Muscat.

Why the Original Recording Matters

Only the original, unedited footage can settle it. Al Zadjali has urged that it be kept with its exact time and location and handed to researchers. A clip stitched together from different places says nothing reliable about what was swimming together off Qantab.

He has also asked that anyone who sees the animal again films it from a safe distance.

Until a specialist has looked at that footage, all that can be said is that someone filmed a pale, pinkish dolphin near Muscat. It might be a Risso's dolphin, as Al Zadjali suggests, or something else entirely.