Iceberg (orca)

Iceberg is the name of an all-white, mature male orca (killer whale) that was filmed and photographed in 2010 off the north-east coast of Russia. He is one of the first adult all-white orca bulls discovered in the wild.[1][2]

Iceberg
SpeciesOrcinus orca
SexMale
Years active2010 - present
Known forAll-white adult male orca
ResidenceNorth Pacific

Researchers attached to the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP), co-founded and co-directed by Alexander M. Burdin and Erich Hoyt, first spotted the orca when his six-foot (two-metre) dorsal fin broke the surface near the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea in August 2010. He was living in a pod with 12 other orcas, and given the size of his dorsal fin was thought to be at least 16 years old.[1][2] Scientists from FEROP speculated that he may have been the albino whale spotted off the coast of Alaska in 2000 and 2008.[3] He was still alive as of 2016, when he was again spotted by FEROP with his pod.[4]

It is unconfirmed whether Iceberg's pigmentation is albinism or leucism. FEROP is hoping in future expeditions to find out.[1][2] The white coloration, more common in the Russian north Pacific than among Antarctic whales, may be a sign of dangerous inbreeding.[5]

See Also

References
  1. "Russian scientists seeking white whale -- really". Fox News. April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  2. "White killer whale adult spotted for first time in wild". BBC News. April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  3. Dell'Amore, Christine (27 April 2012). "White Killer Whale Spotted—Only One in the World?". National Geographic. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  4. Hoyt, Erich (7 September 2016). "The return of Iceberg, the all-white killer whale". Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  5. Johnston, Ian (2 September 2016). "Five rare white killer whales spotted together in a sign of dangerous inbreeding". The Independent. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
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