While chasing trout in a remote Victorian river, Melbourne man Cody Stylianou spotted something strange in the water that got his attention.
“I saw a glow in the water and initially thought it was a very large fish,” Cody told Yahoo News Australia, adding that he was “confused” by what it could be. As it raised its head above water, he realised it was a platypus — though its fur was pale and its bill and feet were pink.
“His fur is quite light, not white but a blonde colour. It may be stained by the tannins in the water though,” he said. He nicknamed the animal ‘Pinky’.
The platypus, which Cody estimates to be around 60cm long or even bigger, has a rare genetic mutation that affects melanin, the pigment responsible for colour in fur, skin and feathers.
‘Pinky’ to become only the 14th recorded sighting of rare platypus
Dr Louise Streeting, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New England, told Yahoo News hypo-pigmentation can present in mammals as albinism (complete absence of pigment, usually with red eyes), leucism (partial or complete loss of pigment in the fur while eyes remain normal), or piebaldism (irregular pale patches).
“In the case of a ‘blonde’ platypus with a pink bill and feet, albinism is a possibility, though leucism can’t be ruled out without closer examination,” she said.
“These conditions are rare in mammals, and there are only a handful of records of white or pale platypus in Australia since the 1800s. Our 2023 study brought the total number of white or albino platypus documented since 1803 to just 13 individual animals.
“[Cody’s] report will add to the very limited records we have of colour variation in platypus.”
Dr Streeting acknowledged Cody’s theory of the tannin-stained river possibly discolouring the animal’s fur, saying it could be “an albino with fur that has taken on a brownish tinge”.
“Either way, it’s both rare and remarkable!” she said.
Not the first time Cody and Pinky have met
The river, in East Gippsland, is a four-hour drive from Cody’s home in Carrum Downs, but he makes the trip a couple of times a year to go fishing and escape the crowds. He wants the exact location kept a secret to stop others from disturbing the platypus.
Remarkably, the 30-year-old believes it’s not the first time he’s crossed paths with the animal.
Around three or four years ago, in the same river but a few kilometres downstream, he spotted the platypus with the same pink bill — though it was a lot smaller then.
Dr Streeting believes ‘Pinky’ could possibly be albino, though leucism “can’t be ruled out” without closer examination. Source: Cody Stylianou
Last week, Cody was so intrigued by the animal he stopped fishing to watch it swim.
“I ended up putting the rod down and just watching him forage for about 15 minutes, and obviously managed to get some footage this time. Seemed like he was just sifting along the bottom eating in the fast water,” he said.
Eventually, the platypus swam around the bend of the river, and Cody lost sight of it. He’s hoping it won’t be the last time he spots the rare creature.
“I go there occasionally, at least a few times a year. I’ll hopefully catch up with him again one day, or hopefully one of his babies,” he said.
Like most animals impacted by albinism or hypo-pigmentation, lighter colouration can make them more visible to predators and potentially reduce survival rates. Dr Streeting said despite that, there are records of white platypus living for many years in the wild, “so it doesn’t always prevent them from living a normal life”.
In 2023, a white platypus with a black bill and feet was discovered in a Northern Tablelands creek in NSW.
Dr Streeting’s team studied the animal and believed it was leucistic. This was the last documented case of a white or pale platypus before Cody’s discovery last week.
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