Very Rare White Killer Whale Spotted Off The Coast Of Alaska

Aug 24, 2020

A mention of killer whales brings the image of the iconic black and white coloring to mind.

Made famous by Orcas performing in water parks across the country, almost everyone recognizes a killer whale when they see one. However, earlier this month, researchers spotted an insanely rare white killer whale in the waters off of Alaska. 

According to CBS, spotting the killer whale was something of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as the animal has only ever been recorded eight times around the world. Named Tl’uk, the whale belongs to a pod based in Alaska.

A video shows the whale gliding through the waters with its black and white mates. His white coloring sticks out in the water even when he is several feet below the surface.

Stephanie Hayes, who is working on her doctorate in marine biology at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, posted the video of Tu’lk to her Instagram page. She received a variety of amazed and somewhat jealous comments.

“There was a collective gasp from everybody on the bow,” Hayes said in a statement for the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

One user had previously seen Tu’lk, commenting on her video that “We have not seen him in our area of the Salish Sea yet this season. So happy to see he is doing well. Great Find!”

Hayes described the sighting as “a dream come true.” She noted that the downside of the rare and beautiful white coloring, known as leucism, is that it may make stalking prey more difficult. The white coloring provides no camouflage and almost highlights Tu’lk’s position in the water. This will require Tu’lk to be especially stealth when seeking a meal.

“Not just to be able to see it, but to be able to see it hunting with the pod, was beyond what I could have ever hoped for as a scientist,” Hayes said. “Hopefully, we can monitor it and find out what happens in the life of a white killer whale.”

While you may one day see Orcas in the wild, the odds of finding a white Orca remain slim. The rarity of these beautiful animals makes Hayes’ sighting and filming of Tu’lk even more incredible. Now we can revel in this rare occurrence! Leave a comment to let us know what you think of Tu’lk. Tell your friends about the white killer whale so that they can experience this beautiful and extremely rare sight!