Scientist on a
NOAA expedition spotted and caught a rare find while doing research off Alaska'a Aleutian Islands. White whales have been immortalized by stories like Moby Dick which dealt with a sperm whale but in reality no orca has ever been scientifically documented as an albino. The
orca, like most predatorial species in the ocean, relies heavily on counter shading for camouflage. An albino orca as such at a great disadvantage for catching prey and probably survived into adulthood only because of the complex social structure Killer whales are noted for.
It is interesting to note that this whale is not a
true albino and maintains small amounts of melanin. He, male orcas have distinct dorsal fins, still retains varying levels of pigmentation. Also since this whale was able to reach maturity it will probably have a good chance to pass on it's genes into the next generation something that rarely happens in species other than humans.
This is an awesome discovery, maybe not for the animal due to the lack of camouflage for hunting, but as far as from a researcher standpoint it is amazing to see an animal (not to mention an animal who is heavily illegally hunted) to be surviving and beating all those odds. This reminds me of when i was younger and going hunting and seeing albino deers.
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