Rare pink platypus spotted in Victoria stuns anglers on cam

An Australian angler filmed a pink platypus while fishing in Gippsland, Victoria, on December 23, after first mistaking the animal for a large trout. Victoria resident Cody Stylianou said the animal stood out immediately. "The bill and feet are super obviously pink," he told The Guardian, adding sunlight made it easy to track underwater. Stylianou said he has seen five to eight platypuses in the same river system over the years. Those animals were normally colored and vanished quickly once they noticed him. The video sparked speculation about albinism or leucism, but researchers disagreed. "Platypus do vary a lot in color," said Jeff Williams of the Australian Platypus Conservancy. Williams said the animal sits at the extreme light end of normal coloring and should not be classified as albino or leucistic. Experts stressed the unusual shade is rare but natural. EnviroDNA ecologist Josh Griffiths said the color likely does not threaten the animal. In quiet rivers where platypuses dominate, even bright pink can stay safely under the radar.