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It likely is not a true albino given the coloration, said John Durban, a research biologist at NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. That's probably a good thing -- true albinos usually don't live long and can have health problems. Durban said white killer whales have been spotted elsewhere in the area twice before: in 1993 in the northern Bering Sea around St. Lawrence Island and in 2001 near Adak in the central Aleutians. There have also been sightings along the Russian coast. While Alaska researchers have documented thousands of black and white killer whales in the Bering Sea and the Aleutians during summer surveys, this was something new and exciting, Durban said. "This is the first time we came across a white killer whale," he said. The scientists observed several pods over a two-week period. The white whale was in a family group of 12 on a day when the seas were fairly rough. It was spotted about 2 miles off Kanaga Volcano on Feb. 23. The ship stayed with the whale for about 30 minutes. "Everybody actually came out and was taking pictures," Fearnbach said. "It was a neat sighting for everybody." The whale appeared to be a healthy, adult male about 25 to 30 feet long and weighing upward of 10,000 pounds.
Jennifer Viegas' blog: Born Animal |
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