Pinkie, the Rare Pink Dolphin, Spotted in Louisiana Waters Confirmed a Female

— -- A rare pink dolphin appropriately nicknamed Pinkie has been discovered to be female since a charter boat captain spotted the rosey-colored mammal mating in Louisiana waters two weeks ago.

"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, a charter boat captain at Calcasieu Charter Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, said he was shocked seeing Pinkie for the first time in June 2007, along with four others on board his charter.

Since then, he added, Pinkie's been a local celebrity, where people take trips on Rue's charter in hopes to get a glimpse of her.

"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."

Rue said Pinkie can be described as a curious dolphin who occasionally swims within five to 10 feet of his boat.

While he recently discovered that she is a female dolphin, Rue said it's unclear where exactly she got her unique hue.

"Dolphins have pink bellies, so I just kind of started of thinking that this is a genetic glitch," he said. "If it was albino I believe it would be white. I've changed what I thought over time, as I analyzed the pictures I have. Other than it being pink and her eyes not opening all the way, it's a perfectly normal dolphin and does all the things the rest of them do.

"It's interesting to know things like that exist in the world and it's really beautiful to see that."

The World Wildlife Fund said they are not able to identify Pinkie’s species type, but there is a freshwater species of dolphin known as the Amazon River dolphin that is naturally pink in color.

Rue said he plans to compile photographs of Pinkie into a coffee table book.