By TOMOYUKI YAMAMOTO/ Staff Writer
June 19, 2024 at 18:39 JST
One of the two white orcas that appeared off the coast of Rausu, Hokkaido, on June 17 (Provided by Shiretoko Nature Cruise)
RAUSU, Hokkaido--Two white killer whales, which are so rare worldwide that they are sometimes referred to as “phantoms,” were spotted off the coast here in Shiretoko Peninsula on June 17.
A sightseeing cruise staff member captured several pictures of the extraordinary marine mammals.
This was the first time since 2021 that two white orcas had been seen at the same time, sources said. However, one was spotted in the waters off Rausu last year.
The ship's captain, Masato Hasegawa, 62, of Shiretoko Nature Cruise, who noticed the two white orcas, said, “I was moved to see them swimming powerfully on the waves. This was once-in-a-lifetime event for our tourists, so all of them were overjoyed.”
Hiroshi Oizumi, a professor of marine ecology at Tokai University, said there are two factors that can cause animals to appear pale or white rather than the normal coloration of their species.
The first is albinism, which means an organism is genetically unable to synthesize melanin, which normally creates color pigments.
The second is leucism, which works differently from albinism.
However, Oizumi said that since science has not yet uncovered the reason for white orcas, they remain a mystery.
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