I’m always astounded by images of unusual animals. That’s why last year I talked about the albino dolphin found by the Taiji roundup. That story was somewhat sad in that the family of the unusual specimen was destroyed by the pointless atrocity that is the Taiji Cove roundup.

The animal displayed above is called Iceberg. Iceberg was originally spotted in 2010. He’s part of a family that has remained together off the coast of Russia. The modern sighting has verified him and his family as part of the fish eating type of Orca, but his status as either true albino or leuistic has not yet been established. Russian waters are home to more than one white Orca, but this suggests that the population may be breeding closely and thus resulting in this concentration of recessively colored animals. Currently in Russia 5 white individuals have been confirmed, and there is evidence that suggests that the actual numbers might be as high as 8.

I look forward to the ongoing research on this unique population, and hope that the White Orcas of Russia continue to swim free!