Whale-Watchers Spot Two Rare White Orcas Off the Coast of Japan

A group of Japanese whale-watchers was able to spot two rare white orcas swimming off the coast of Hokkaido. It is one of the country’s northern-most islands, over the weekend. During a whale-watching tour on July 24 in the Kunashirskiy Strait, a 20-mile stretch of water between the northern islands of Hokkaido and Kunashir, they spotted.

The pair may mostly be normal-looking orcas. But these two are thought to carry a gene that partially removes pigment from their skin which is making them appear white. They are not 'true' albinos, which is caused by a genetic trait. This means that the affected animal produces no melanin at all. Melanin is the compound that gives skin, hair, feathers, and eyes their color.