Could white whale spotted off Gold Coast be famous Migaloo?

A white whale has been spotted just north of the Gold Coast Seaway, but the jury’s still out on whether it’s the famous, albino humpback.

Migaloo gained fame as he was, for a long time, the only white whale in a group of whales that numbered close to 23,000 according to Southern Cross University Academic, Wally Franklin.

He said Migaloo had distinctive knobs along his backbone, and they were clearly visible in video of the whale sighted on the Gold Coast today.

“He literally has become the ambassador for the whales and a national treasure”.

If the sighting is confirmed, it will be the first sighting of the iconic whale since his migration up the east coast of Australia a year ago.

Mr Peterson said the whale’s timing was also about six weeks later than the famous humpback’s normal journey and it was much shinier than he would expect Migaloo to be.

“This animal we don’t know if it’s a male or a female but it was first sighted in about 2011”, Seaworld’s Trevor Long told 7News.

Seaworld has reportedly confirmed the whale is Migaloo.

Still, marine biologists have dubbed the youngster “MJ” – Migaloo Junior – but they are not certain whether there is any relation between the two humpbacks.

“It could be this one called Migaloo or it could be another very white whale”, he said.

The legendary white whale is often spotted off the eastern coast of Australia.