The first white killer whale to be spotted, an orca subsequently named Iceberg, was on on August 11, 2010. The orca was spotted by a team of whale researchers working in the western North Pacific. A day later the same white killer whale was spotted with a pod of typically-colored orcas, although a second white killer whale was also spotted with the same group.
Over the past few years the researchers have encountered more cases. Although the number of recorded sightings remains low (perhaps no more than eight), the sightings are increasing. The news may not be good for killer whale populations says Colin Barras, writing for New Scientist, for this could be a sign of inbreeding.
A killer whale is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. There are known to be four types. The most common is Type A, which generally looks like a “typical” killer whale, a large, black and white form with a medium-sized white eye patch. The spotted white killer whales are Type A’s.
With the growing numbers of white killer whales, Erich Hoyt at Whale and Dolphin Conservation estimates the level could be 1 in 1000. To find out more, Hoyt and his colleagues aim to take some genetic samples from examples of the white killer whales. Such testing may confirm that the whales are albinos, which would point towards inbreeding and poor health.
The research observations on white killer whales to date has been published in the journal Aquatic Mammals, with the paper headed “White Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in the Western North Pacific.”
