A rare white orca calf has been spotted off the coast of southern California.
“It’s already rare to see orcas in this area, let alone a white one,” said Mark Girardeau, an experienced drone pilot and wildlife photographer based in Orange County.
This orca, nicknamed Frosty, is thought to have a condition known as leucism, which is a lack of pigment. The orca was born like this and is one of only a few in the world with this condition.
This pod of killer whales is known by researchers as the CA216, which are a transient type of orca seen between Mexico and Canada. This leucistic orca is likely around 4 years old.
The rare sight was captured on Sunday, April 23. Girardeau was boating with whale watching tour agency Newport Coastal Adventure, which operates out of Newport Beach.
(Video credit: Newsflare)
In a Facebook post, the group wrote:
Sunday was a scramble to see the ocean’s biggest celebrities: Killer Whales! On just a few hours notice, we loaded three boats for a special trip and drove 50 miles before we finally found the CA216 pod. One of the youngest members of this family is “Frosty,” named for the unusually light skin as the result of a rare genetic condition.
We were lucky enough to be treated to a few close passes by the Killer Whales, including this one. Killer Whales are actually the world’s largest dolphin, and often exhibit curiosity around floating objects … boats with cheering people included!
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