Cetaceans are surprising beings due to their large size and intelligence and although there are different species of these, we cannot deny that the vast majority attract the attention of those who love the marine world due to their amazing characteristics. Whale sightings are highly prized around the globe, but also for other cetaceans such as dolphins and orcas. In Japan, on the island of Hokkaido, dozens of lovers of marine life come together to observe herds of orcas. And in one of these observations appeared two orcas of strange beauty, because their color was not similar to the others, but they were almost completely white.
White killer whales stood out from their herd because of the color of their skin, which was not the same as the characteristic black and white pattern. In the middle of the Kunashirskiy Strait, between Hokkaido and Kunashir, two northern Japanese islands, the orcas were seen by a group of observers.
Rina Nagashima / Magnus News
According to an employee of the tour company that specializes in orca watching, one of the two white orcas was older. This It was first seen two years ago off the coast of Japan. and his skin color, a little darker than white, proves that he is older. But in an almost unlikely event, another white orca was also coming with the pod. This second orca is believed to be younger, as it he had never been seen roaming the region. It is the first time that two cetaceans with these characteristics have been sighted together.
Non-albino leucistic killer whales
The intrinsic characteristics of both animals suggest that these are not albino killer whales. Albinism is distinguished by the inability to generate melanin at all, which is the compound that gives color to skin, eyes, hair, and more. Therefore, if the killer whales presented albinism, their color would be much whiter.
Instead, the pair of killer whales sighted in Japan still have the traditional spots that surround the chin and eyes in normal specimens. The difference is that they are almost imperceptible to distinguish due to their light color. Thanks to this clue, it is believed that both orcas actually have a condition called leucism, which is a disturbance in the production of melanin, but not the absence of it. Therefore, the specimens are capable of generating a variable amount of melanin than they normally would.
It is for this reason that the pair of killer whales have noticeably lighter skin color than their pod mates. Undoubtedly an experience that any lover of marine life would like to admire, singular orcas with unusual colors in them.
Rina Nagashima / Magnus News
Orcas are whales or not?
Orcas in themselves are already very special animals, many believe that they belong to whales, although this is not the case. Orcas are not whales they are actually the only species belonging to the genus Orcinus that is derived from the Delphinidae family. Simply put, killer whales should not be identified as whales but rather as dolphins, albeit much larger.
Although whales, orcas, and dolphins all descend from the same common ancestor, this is why they all belong to the order of cetaceans. However, they separated their evolutionary paths into two groups long ago. On the one hand, there are the Odontoceti, which includes orcas, dolphins, belugas, and sperm whales. And on the other, the Mysticeti where all the known species of whales are grouped.
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