The world's only known all-white male killer whale has been spotted in the Pacific Ocean off Russia, scientists announced Monday.
The orca, dubbed "Iceberg" by the scientists, was spotted swimming with a pod of 12 others. Iceberg has a 6.5-foot-high dorsal fin and is at least 16 years old, according to a blog post by Erich Hoyt, co-director of the Far East Russia Orca Project.
Check out a photo gallery of albino creatures
The pod was spotted by scientists from universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the waters around the Commander Islands off the Kamchatka Peninsula. The area is part of a marine reserve.
Hoyt wrote that two other white orcas have been seen in area, but that Iceberg is the first fully grown male.
“In many ways, Iceberg is a symbol of all that is pure, wild and extraordinarily exciting about what is out there in the ocean waiting to be discovered,” Hoyt said in a statement.
Hoyt wrote that researchers will return to the waters where Iceberg was spotted this summer in hopes of finding the creature again and determining whether he is an albino or if there is some other reason for his white color.
The researchers hope the presence of Iceberg will help efforts to expand marine reserves along the Russian coast, they said in the statement.
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So when do we start the Capt.Ahab jokes?
Split your lungs with blood and thunder when you see the white whale break your backs and crack your oars and aim straight for his crooked brow and unleash hell. White whale holy grail white whale holy grail
So why didn't they nickname it Moby Dick?!
Must be a gang of Orcas mated with a Beluga, what are the chances?
beautifull animals, thank God for creating such animals, only humans can find fault in them.Look his family loves him
Advice to all you scientists out there. Stop harassing the darn thing. Let it be.
since he is the only white one does he ride the back of the pod
How much you wanna bet the other whales did not go: he's white, he must be of a different race. Stupid humans.
Wow. I love evolution and the diversity of the genetic pool. Just imagine what creatures evolution has created before us and will create in the future.
Amazing creature – Satan does incredible work.
It's really very interesting, it's unbelievable. A great work was made by the nature, I would say. Congratulations for the photographer. The picture is amazing. I would like to know a little bit more about the finish of this history.
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/23/11352521-all-white-killer-whale-spotted-off-russias-east-coast
I'll follow him around the Horn, and around the Norway maelstrom, and around perdition's flames before I give him up!
If Putin sees these pictures, Iceberg will probably be on his living room wall in a month.
Beautiful shot. Hope they leave it alone. Anybody have a clue what mountains are in the background.
Very cool indeed, but you shouldn't display such stories, China might out, capture it and only let countries it's friends with have a peek
Huey – you're coments are getting boring ... zzzzzzz..
Yes, we understand that it a genetic anomaly .... does not mean it is not beautiful and unique nonetheless. And the fact that it did make it into adulthood, in the wild, is kind of a big deal.