Russian scientists have spotted what they believe to be the first ever adult albino orca, or killer whale, off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, the international science project Far East Russia Orca reported on Monday.
“In the North Pacific, east of the Kamchatka Peninsula near the Commander Islands, the first-ever adult all-white, probably albino, orca bull has been observed by scientists from the universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg,” the organization said in a statement.
The whale that was called “Iceberg” for his two-meter towering white dorsal fin breaking the surface, was spotted surrounded by another 12 species in what appeared to be his family unit, the scientists said.
According to the project, the area around the Commander Islands, where Iceberg was first seen, is protected as Russia’s largest marine reserve. The scientists are now planning to expand the protected area in order to maintain the ecosystem for marine mammals.
“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,” said Erich Hoyt, the co-head of the Far East Russia Orca Project. “The challenge is to keep the ocean healthy so that such surprises are always possible.”
