News

Researchers off the coast of Russia spotted a rare white orca—believed to be the only adult white orca ever to be seen.

The group of researchers have nicknamed the whale Iceberg  and believe he is a male and at least 16 years old as is evidenced by his fully developed dorsal fin. Iceberg appears to be leading a normal life and is fully socialized into his pod.

Other white orcas have been documented before, but only as youngsters. Although the Russian researchers do not know what causes Iceberg’s coloring, previous testing on a captive white orca indicated a condition called Chediak-Higashi syndrome, which causes partial albinism and a number of other symptoms.  

Click here to read the original article and see photos of Iceberg.