Photo credit: FEROP
What’s enormous, all-white, and awe inspiring? Stick around and find out!
During a late summer expedition off the eastern coast of Russia the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP) experienced an extremely rare sighting.
An all-white orca!
The last documented white whale, named Iceberg, was also spotted by FEROP in 2012 in Kamchatka, the same region off of the Russian coast.
The scientists know that it is not the same whale due to the difference in their sizes. The male bull whale from 2012 was estimated to be seventeen years old, twenty-four to twenty-five feet long, and weigh between five and six tons. Although the white orca spotted recently may seem large, it is young and will continue to grow as it becomes a mature adult.
Unfortunately, scientists also believe that white orca tend to have shorter lifespans than the average orca. FEROP monitors orcas in the Kamchatka region of Russia to better understand their habits and to prevent them from becoming endangered.
Watch the video of this rare sighting:
These scarce and magnificent all-white orcas remind us of the extraordinary beauty and mysteries of nature.
Sources: