Rare White Orca

[skipaway]

He is very stunning!


Russian scientists have released footage of what's believed to be the world's only all-white adult male orca, which belongs to a small pod known to inhabit waters off Russia's Commander Islands in the Bering Sea. The orca was named "Iceberg" because of the way its towering white dorsal fin broke the surface of the chilly waters east of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Iceberg, who is believed to be about 16 years old, belongs to a pod, or social unit, of 13 orcas.

Iceberg (http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/33402/first-ever+footage+of+rare+white+orca+released+by+russia n+scientists/)

[rfisher]

He's not the only one. A friend sent me a shot of a white male found in the Aleutians about 10 years ago. There's a published article about several others found among the Alaskan pods as well. I'm at work and don't have the article link, but I'll add it when I get home.

http://arctic.synergiesprairies.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/view/10/10
This is the link to the article PDF

Eric Hoyt is the researcher who filmed this whale as part of a research project. They hope to get some DNA from him and the rest of the pod and to be able to get a picture to see if he's a true albino. Most don't live to full adulthood. He is beautiful.

And for any high school biology teachers, Orca network has a really good photo display of a gray whale necropsy performed yesterday in Puget sound with excellent discussion opportunities for evolution, biology, conservation and other good stuff at

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10151589908435601.851272.79401335600&type=1