E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSAn all-white, and possibly albino, killer whale has been spotted in seas off eastern Russia, scientists reported Monday, dubbing the adult male "Iceberg."
"In many ways, Iceberg is a symbol of all that is pure, wild and extraordinarily exciting about what is out there in the ocean waiting to be discovered," Erich Hoyt, co-director of the Far East Russia Orca Project, said in a statement. "The challenge is to keep the ocean healthy so that such surprises are always possible."
The researchers, who are studying killer whales in an area that's also seen as an opportunity for oil development, say Iceberg is the first adult, all-white male orca to have been documented.
Young, all-white orcas have been seen before -- including two in Iceberg's pod -- but none has ever been recorded living into adulthood.
Iceberg and his pod of 12 relatives were first spotted off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.
"We have no genetic data" on Iceberg's pod, Hoyt wrote in a blog post Sunday, "but we are hoping to meet them again in summer 2012 and learn more about the phenomenon of white whales, why they occur, what it means and whether Iceberg is a true albino — perhaps we can catch a glimpse of a pink eye — or 'just' one of the most beautiful orcas anyone has ever seen."
E. Lazareva / FEROP via AFP - Getty Images
"Iceberg" travels with his pod near Bering Island off Russia's coast.
The area where Iceberg was first seen is inside Russia's largest marine reserve and the scientists hope it will be expanded to create a "network of reserves."
"Such a call is in response to local overfishing in some areas, and increased oil and gas exploration, which poses a threat to marine mammals from increasing noise levels, ship traffic and potential oil spills," the scientists stated. "As noise levels increase, the ability of whales to communicate over long distances may be compromised."
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- New blow to US-Afghan relations? Congressional delegation meets Karzai foes
- North Korea threatens to reduce South Korea's government 'to ashes'
- US, Afghans seal long-term partnership deal
- Japanese teen traced as owner of tsunami soccer ball found in Alaska
- In Bahrain, Twitter tells the story of police, protesters and Formula One race
- Iran says it is building a copy of downed US spy drone
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
Why is it always about race?
All white??????
Jesse isn't going to like this.
Because that is what our "If I had a son" president, who gives the acronym POTUS a new meaning (Piece Of Totally Useless @!$%#), and the Jesse/Al couple have done to society.
Due to our current leadership, I find myself gravitating more toward race preservation...
When I saw the Caption "All White Killer Whale" I was anxious to read the posts and hope that race was not brought into it. First Post, DARN.
lol Paul, Really, you had to know better on the newsvine......
How come this "White" Orca can be followed around and nobody complains about profiling?
Yea, I do Lisa. I was just hoping it would make it to 10 or 15 posts before it reared its ugly head. I saw Killer Whales in Alaska last summer. Pretty cool animals, and fast.
They are facinating.
lol.
Cuz its the first thing people see... Also a way of profile people into sub groups advancing the majority in every facet while simultainusly pushing the minorities into extreme poverty and self destruction...
Or could just be a white whale all you racist schmucks. Funny stuff though guys really.
Lighten up, Paul,
It was a JOKE!!!!
as i understand it, the country of Japan has laid claim to this animal and has begun tracking it with one their many satellites used to track the worlds whale population. they went on to speculate that this creature is all white thru and thru and even tastier than all the hundreds of others they have harvested in the name of research this year. "you cant be sure until you taste it" one spokesperson was quoted as saying.
too bad, so sad.
I guess it's true. once you go black.....
Hurry! Somebody tell the Japenese so they can harvest this whale for scientific study!
Well they sure would not have named it "Moby Dick" because most of our young people would think that was a STD.
What I want to know is, could Sarah see it from her front porch?
very cool whale, even better "potus" statement!!! Ty 4 the laugh vegas yank!!! I totally agree! That was prob AS and Rev J in disguise in the 1 pic.
I'M STILL VERY CONFUSED.....Someone please help me understand...........How can an "All White" anything be "spotted"? White on white spots or what????
I have stood out on the Deception Pass bridge up in Washington state and watched the whales swim under. It is an incredible sight. Orcas are magnificent creatures and this all white one must be truly beautiful to see. It is too bad that some idiots had to bring their stupid racial comments into the discussion about these incredible creatures. They are amazing to watch and should be appreciated by all. I have also seen whales while out sailing of the southern CA coast and you realize that it is best to appreciate them from a reasonable distance. They are so powerful that getting too close can have unintended, but no less disastrous results. A simple bump from one of them can ruin your whole day.
Orcas are so amazingly smart. Did anyone see the Frozen Planet episode last night? The Orcas 'washing' seals off ice floes? Three or four of them swimming fast under the floe and the resulting wave just washes the seal off the ice. Then they play this cat and mouse game with it until it's too tired to resist. Then the whale just yanked it off the ice and well...you can imagine.
Amazing footage. I've seen the footage of them rushing the shore to snatch seals from a beach, then playing toss, but this was new...to me anyway.
Lola - I'm not sure if you'd want to classify that behavior as smart. The term cruel seems a bit more appropriate.
If I took a chicken and tortured it until it died of exhaustion or batted it back and forth like a tennis ball, I don't think anyone would remark about my intellectual prowess.
And no, I'm not a vegetarian. I just don't like seeing cruelty in any species being admired.
JFC, actually, this white orca stands in direct opposition of "once you go black ...".
Proof positive, in fact. ;-)
Crying shame, You are just what the community doesn't need. For an orca that is very smart. If one of the most common foods you could find were chickens, yes you would chase it until exhaustion.
At least nobody started ranting about this all white killer whale being a sign of "End of Days"
And Nostrodamus said,
And a white object will be spotted in the sea.
It will cause famine and confusion.
Most of the comments of race was invoked by the racist white posters. So my question who is really playing the race card? This is about a whale for Pete's sake. TO the the once you go black jibberish, the reason why this is such a phenomena is because, their are far and view sightings of white whales ( I wish that was the case for all these all white racists). The earth's minority considering racial population are the whites, and who causes the most death and destruction the whites? Maybe that is why you don't see a lot of all white animals in the wild, because they bring nothing but death and destruction (disclaimers this doesn't apply to the reasonable and good whites). smh
I commend anyone who read through Marvin's whole post without rolling their eyes. Bravo!
I couldn't do it. I almost got passed line one, then lost it. Can I try again?
The Killer Whale Government instituted Affirmative Action to make things "fair".
In the second photo the black ones have him surrounded. He's toast. Or....it could be a white female. There. Racism, you asked it, I aim to please.
I'm surprised that some lousy jerk didn't have to try to0 kill it.
OMG Marvin Give it a rest already. Do you even possess a sense of humor at all?
Really. Everyone is so focused on the racism angle, no one has considered for a minute this whale could be female. Bunch of misogynists.
At least they aren't endangered whales-might be if some started wearing hoodies though.
When the headline mentioned "killer" whales I thought to myself of course its all white. And reading this newsthread OF COURSE all the white bigot trolls around here are in force making excuses for the whale's killer tendancies ("Well, he's only a killer because there's so many black thug whales making the sea some kind of ghetto..." "Well, if the black whales weren't wearing hoodies on their dorsal fins they wouldnt need to get 'killed' now would they?" "The only reason why he's considered a 'killer' is because the liberal media is out to race bait. Where's AL Sharpton/Jessie Jackson to protect this poor innocent whale's rights?")
All I know is white people are goofy when it comes to race, and sometimes its damned funny.
the other-other white meat...
It is not cruelty, it is survival. Humans are the only species capable of 'cruelty'. With animals, it is part of Nature and always has been. It isn't cruel with animals; to be truly cruel you have to truly want to cause suffering.
Or maybe because in most species a white animal stands out to much and is terribly vulnerable to predators because it can't blend into it's surroundings.
Really. Maybe that is because it was identified as male.
Who cares about whales when there are profits to be made!!! The silly plight of a few hundred or possibly thousands of sea dwelling creatures has no bearing on what Wall Street or any of our civic minded patriots who care about nothing more than getting people back to work at minimum wage zero benefits @ 32 hours per week so that the economy will rebound for their benefit, so they can get to more oil/gas in even more sensitive areas where even more wildlife can be ignored for the lust of money!!!! Great stuff it is!!!
Profiling are they! Whats up with Dat!
Killer white whale? Are Sharpton and Jackson on their way to Russia?
You answered your own question, Marvin. Left wingers think that anyone against Obama's policies is a racist. You just stated that everyone making fun of people making RACE out of every issue like this all-white killer whale is a racist (that's you liberals and your media....see: "White Hispanic" Zimmerman they label him as).
Truth is, we're tired of people like you that have all but destroyed the real meaning of "racist" and "racism" because that's all people like you can argue back with. I'm sorry bud, but your race card has been cancelled due to over usage and abuse. Time to come up with a new word to use in an attack on those you don't agree with politically. You and your ilk have done it.
The whale appears to be armed and encircling a younger mixed race whale wearing a hoodie. This discription will surely bring him attention and the other whale aid in the form of marches and skittles proceeds.
It's a male. Look at the dorsal fin. It's also called survival of the fittest. Cruel my arse. Orcas don't operate by pseudo-moralistic "human" behavior standards. They win or they starve. The fact that they have figured out a way to get seals off of beaches and ice floes and they work as a coordinated team is more than you can say for many people.
Howdy Ho
That is totally ridiculous have you ever seen a whale, dolphin, or and orca wearing a hoodie? Everyone know it wouldn't work with a blow-hole
A "Blow-hole"? So thats what you kids are calling it these days.
By the way, you don't have to be a marine biologist or George Costanza, to know all large aquatic mammals wear hoodies backwards so there is no blow-hole interference.
Beware, sailor:
In whaling jargon, the Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) of the Physeteridae was sometimes known as the "black whale." (and wears a hoodie)
Marvin Young albeit you think you are doing good with your statement you are actually part of the problem. It doesn't pass the smell test.. and neither do you. You exude racist with ever sentence you made.
"The Peoples' Democratic Republic of the Ocean (DPRO) claims that the racial attacks by the Great White Killer are wholely sponsored by Washington's racist State Department."
LMFAO!!!!
Marvin,
That'sright every one of your problems was caused by some evil white man. At some point it stopped being our fault and started being yours. Take responsibility for your own damn actions.
Vegas Yank: you're just a sorry excuse for a human being.
One of the best Seinfeld episodes ever. Wish I could give you 5 points for that one. If only there were a news article about an architect.. wanting to be a marine biologist. .........................................
No Iceberg is not symbolic of all that is Pure. Iceberg is symbolic of a single entity within the Killer Whale Species that lacks the process involved during growth that allows for the pigmentation of the skin to produce the normal coloration that normal whales have.
There is nothing Pure about Iceberg.
Iceberg is actually inferior celluar wise because he lacks the ability to repel the UV rays of the Sun meaning that he cannot stay in the sun for too long are he will die of UV radiation poisoning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albinism
I think we should kill it and eat it.
What does Killer Whale taste like, anyway?
What does Killer Whale taste like, anyway?
A lot like dolphin (delicious!)
Well lets back up a minute. First if its skin lacks a certain pigment, then its skin would be pure of that pigment. Similar to "pure water" lacking anything other than water itself. So yes, pure could be a term used to describe its skin. Second, it does not sound like you are anything even close to a marine biologist, but even if you are the article clearly states that there is no genetic data for this pod, nor has a true adult albino ever been recorded. Therefore your statement of Iceberg having a cellular inferiority is a worthless opinion. You have no proof that this could be an evolutionary step forward. I am not saying it is, just that their is a possibility that UV rays will not affect Iceberg the way you are predicting. If you are angry because the author wrote "white" and "pure" in the same sentence please try not to associate racial hate to a scientific article. It has no place here.
thinkaboutitalittleharder....agreed. The whale has obviously made it to adulthood without dying from UV exposure.
Marine biologists have determined that Iceberg is genetically inferior with regards to his athletic abilities, which is why, although he is a valuable contributing member of his pod, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to become a star in the world of professional whaleball. Fortunately, he was able to put these dreams aside and is now on track to become the pod CEO (Chief Executive Orca).
dwighthuth: Is this due to a recessive gene?
From the looks of it, to me this whale is probably leucistic.
/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucism
You're probably wrong and biased, unless Iceberg is an albino...which there is no proof of.
White (black) bears, white tigers, white lions have nothing inferior genetically and can hunt and be under the Sun as much as any of their colored species...
Maybe there is something pure about these white specimen since they are rare.
They should taste like Dolphin or is that Tuna? the other Chicken... just ask that Simpson chick...
White Lions and White Tigers have a low survival rate in the wild because they lack the camouflage provided by their species natural coloring.
So the orca is "pure and beautiful" because it's white?
Yes it is. When is the last time you saw a white killer whale?? never.. so yeah it's pure and beautiful because it's white. Same as if it was solid red.
Don't be hating, Chris.
Yes. There IS something Beautiful about the word "White". Don't you think?? I think.
I doubt seals have the same opinion of killer whales.
It's considered beautiful because it's different. It's a shame we don't appreciate the differences in our own species.
Yes Chris just think things white can be pure and beautiful. Ever seen a snowy xmas da?, white orca? Beluga Whale? ...beautiful.
Now even things black can be beautiful- Navin R. Johnson was born a poor black child and his Momma thought he was beautiful
Just Saying
To all of you posters who want to 'stir the pot' about race and the name 'Iceberg'...Did it ever occur to you that maybe they named him Iceberg is because he looks like an iceberg???
No.
Iceberg? Is he Jewish or just trying to fit in with the black killa whales?
I am laughing so hard, I spilled my coffee all over the keyboarddddddddddddddddddddddddd
LOL
Now I'm hungry for a salad
They should have named him "Cracker!"
Lisa,
Are you hungry for a salad because of Iceberg lettuce, or because you're afraid of becoming big as a whale?
lol.....I read iceberg
I wonder if he's a bad dancer.
Ashley, you're blonde, right?
What a beautiful sight to see that pure white fin amongst the other Orcas. It's too bad that so many people are posting racial slurs and stupid comments because they don't know any better, and don't have anything more important to do with their time.
I think it would really be something to see from under the water. I hope that other countries will keep Japan from claiming this really beautiful, and totally wild mammal, then finding a way to exploit it or worse, put it on a menu! In the wild, it has a chance to breed and pass it's color on, and to be studied, from afar by many.
Personally I think it is a little cruel to name him iceburg during the 100th anniversary of the Titanic being sunk by an "iceburg"...............just mean spirited.
I can just hear the Japanese Fishing Boats revving up and "Iceberg" starring on the next episode of Wicked Tuna...
Maybe he just likes lettuce.
Oh boy, it looks like some of the same people who are soooo upset about the racial tone of this vine have no trouble denegrating the Japanese.
He should always use sunscreen
Another white supremacist, racist photo manipulation.
I'm sorry, but that is pure funny!
Whales suffer of sunburn, too:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9173000/9173271.stm
I just read the New Black Panthers have put a bounty on the head of this shark.
Spike Lee just tweeted his latitude and longitude.
Opps, Spike got the address wrong, just sent the mob to a "Long Johns Silver"
Whales are NOT sharks.
"Thar she blows! It be the White Whale!"
(I always thought that Moby Dick would be somewhat larger....)
(I always thought that Moby Dick would be somewhat larger....)
from the diary of Mrs. Moby Dick...
Where's Ahab? Greenpeace had best look out.
o'really,
That would have been the all BLACK orca.
From now on we'll call you Ishmael.
They should have named him PITBULL....
Why can't people appreciate things for what they are? Natural beauty is the best
Then why do women wear makeup?
insecurities brought on by society, or just to enhance themselves for there own personable reasons.
"personable reasons"? what is that?
The natural beauty of one is good. The less makeup the better, and screw society be yourself. 8)
OMG if they had a baby would it be MIXED lol
So many shades of gray!
Oh oh, They better keep Japan away from it or they will kill it as they say, for "Research".
I'm sure there's also a market for white whale "magical" penis tea.
Now that one is funny!!!!
Go Whitey!!!
:"Well, blow me down!" Maybe it's Moby Dick?
Oh, wow! I'd love to see Iceberg! I've only seen killer whales in captivity and they were all the black/white ones. How exciting! Maybe he'll live to spawn more.
Geeeezzzzz!!! What a bunch F****** jerks that posted here!!! Something really cool happens in the worlds oceans such as "Iceberg" and you jerks bring in your bull****!!!! Get a life!!!
And you had to respond, oh keeper of the bloggos. You might want to shop for one too.
i see your here
I hope Al and Jesse don't hear about this. Obama might even send somebody to check it out.
Ya and it would start out "if i had a killer whale it would look like Iceberg" PLZZZZZ!!!!! Cause its whitey, it would prob start out "If i killed whale..."
Don't tell the Asians where he is - someone will decide that eating him will either cure cancer or impotence and then he'll be gone for good.
i think its beautiful and unique
LEAVE IT ALONE
it could be a very rare one
whose knows, is a chance in a life time to see one-you may never get the opportunity to see a white whale again
WHY DON'T YOU YOU JUST TAKE A PICTURE OF IT? IT WOULD LAST YOU A LONG TIME-ALOT LONGER THAN EATING THE POOR THING..ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN!
i have never even seen a whale and that would be cool-of course i would just take a picture if i could
"... could be a very rare one."
Um, 'ya think?
Is there some part of him being the only one documented that you didn't understand, Jennifer?
What > NO White Hispanic Killer Whales ...
No, AS and Rev J already got that one killed!
Must be gay, then.
All white killer,, msm is on a roll.
The other wales in the pod bully him mercilessly with taunts of 'cracker' and 'honky' and always ask him about stock tips and how his golf game is.
Good lord, why does EVERYTHING have to break down to a political/racial/religious/etc. debate? Why can't people just enjoy an interesting article about a rare color mutation in a majestic creature? Sometimes there really is no hidden meaning/agenda. Sometimes things just are what they are. Get a life, people!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aunt of 8,
No one is seriously discussing race/politics/religious/etc. By making jokes about the whale and tying it into recent news involving race/politics/religion/etc, they are actually saying the same thing as you, only they are saying it in an amusing light-hearted way. So drop your exclamation points, chill and for God's sake, smile.
I agree 100%. Iceberg is a rare creature. Instead of bring trash talk into this just enjoy one of the many wonders of the natural world.
you know what's so amazing and wonderful about these rare creatures? They don't have sticks up their butts and feel the need to lecture everybody about "trash talk."
Just waiting for the blacks to scream discrimination.
DISCRIMINATION! How's that? You f#@%ing idiot! Did you like that one, too, racist jerk? I'm discriminating now.
wow, you're an angry elf, aren't you?
Damn even the Orcas are trying to be white.