When people go diving, they hope to see fish, coral, plants, and many other types of creatures who live in the water. One animal that is particularly beloved is the stingray, or their close relative the Stingaree. For most people, they look pretty much the same and are generally grouped together as one species, but that is not actually the case.

If you are ever out on a dive and want to know what you are looking at, the stingaree has a different shaped caudal fin than the more popular stingrays. For diver Jules Casey, the thing that really set the stingaree he caught on video off the coast of Australia wasn’t the caudal fin, however.

Instead, this animal caught his attention (and the attention of the many people who have seen the video) because of its stark white coloring. You can see the full video here:

This animal likely had either albinism or leucism. Albinism is when the body makes very little or no melanin, resulting in the skin, hair or fur, and even feathers of the animals to appear white. The eyes of those with albinism are red, which makes them stand out. Leucism, on the other hand, is when there is a partial loss of pigmentation on the skin or other parts of the body. In most cases, however, Leucism does not affect the eyes.

Since this stingaree was not captured to be studied, it is not certain what condition caused it to be completely white. Whatever the case, it is very rare to see in the wild. First, because it is a recessive genetic trait so very few stingarees are hatched like this at all. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the white skin will often make it more difficult for the animal to survive.

Most animals in the ocean, including stingarees, survive by blending in with their surroundings, at least when they are young and small. Having the stark white skin makes this much more difficult, meaning that they are more likely to be seen and eaten by predators before they  mature. The stingaree in this video, however, seems to have made it to adulthood and is doing quite well.

Thought that was fascinating? Here’s another story you might like: Why You’ll Never See A Great White Shark In An Aquarium