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Pink Dolphin resurfaces in Louisiana

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The rare pink bottlenose dolphin first spotted in the Calcasieu River eight years ago has resurfaced in Louisiana waters two weeks ago, ABC News reports.

Local charter boat captain Erik Rue has taken several pictures of Pinkie mating in the area and discovered that the mammal is female.

"I've taken a ton of pictures of her mating and it proved she's a female," Capt. Erik Rue told ABC News today. "I believe I'm first one who saw her and I know I'm the first one to take pictures of her.

"I've learned a lot since I've spend a lot of time following her around."

Rue first saw Pinkie in June 2007 while he was working for the Calcasieu Charter Service. Since then, people have taken trips on Rue's charter to catch a glimpse of the rare dolphin.

"I think many are a bit surprise when they actually see it and it's actually bright pink like we've told them," Rue said. "They say 'Oh my gosh it's really pink.' They are surprised that it's just the way we described it to them.

"It's very stunning to look at," he added. "Everyone whips out their cell phones to try and capture a picture, or video of it and of course we accommodate."

It is unclear where the Dolphin got its pink color.

According to National Geographic, Greg Barsh, a researcher at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Alabama, said that Pinkie could be an albino as it has reddish eyes and its blood vessels are visible through its pale skin that does not have any pigments.

The World Wildlife Fund has not been able to identify Pinkie's species type. However, there is a freshwater species of dolphin known as the Amazon River dolphin that is pink in color.

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