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

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]

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. 1 2 3 "Russian scientists seeking white whale -- really". Fox News. April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "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. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. 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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