A Victorian fisher has captured footage of a pink platypus in a river in Gippsland, sparking online speculation that it could be a rare albino monotreme. Cody Stylianou, who regularly fishes in the area, first spotted the creature while on a trout fishing trip in September. He initially thought it was a large trout but realised it was a platypus when it surfaced.
Stylianou, who has nicknamed the animal 'Pinky', observed it feeding for about 15 minutes. He noted its distinctly pink bill and feet, which made it easy to follow underwater. He believes it may be the same platypus he saw years ago, now older and larger. Stylianou is keeping the exact location secret to protect the animal.
Biologist Jeff Williams, director of the Australian Platypus Conservancy, has examined the footage and says the platypus is not albino but rather an extreme colour variation. 'Platypus do vary a lot in colour,' he explained. 'This one's at the extreme end of the light ones. It's not one that we consider should be added to the list of albino and leucistic ones.'
Williams emphasised that while the pink platypus is unusual, it is not exceptional. He compared the variation to different hair or skin pigment in humans. 'Every so often, you will get a genetic anomaly that just throws up things,' he said. 'It's somewhat unusual, but it's nothing to get particularly excited about.'
The platypus is listed as near-threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Williams noted that Victorian populations have declined due to European settlement impacts on waterways, including altered river flows and cleared native vegetation. However, recent conservation efforts such as replanting programs have helped numbers recover in some areas.
