A Victorian fisher has filmed an unusually pink platypus while fishing in Gippsland.
Cody Stylianou first mistook the animal for a trout before seeing it surface nearby.
The platypus had clearly pink feet and bill, making it easy to spot in sunlit water.
Stylianou believes it may be the same animal he noticed years earlier in the area.
Online speculation suggested the animal could be albino.
However, biologist Jeff Williams from the Australian Platypus Conservancy said this was unlikely.
Williams explained platypus vary widely in colour and this individual sits at the lighter extreme.
He described it as unusual, but not rare or scientifically significant.
Platypus are listed as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Habitat damage previously caused population declines in Victoria.
Revegetation and improved river management have helped numbers recover.
Researchers caution that continued conservation efforts remain essential.
