Majestic photos capture rare albino killer whale leaping out of water off Japanese coast
An incredibly rare albino orca was caught on camera leaping out of the ocean, leaving an impassioned wildlife photographer 'shaking with excitement.'
Japanese freelance photographer Noriyuki Hayakawa snapped the once-in-a-lifetime shot of the snowy mammal off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island.
The magnificent photos show the whale breaching as it swam with its pod.
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The 64-year-old shutterbug has been following the majestic mammals for years, and the albino killer whale sighting left his legs 'shaking with excitement.'
'This photo means so much to me,' he told Jam Press.
'I've spent over a decade photographing orcas and this is the first white one I've ever seen,' he added.
3 A white killer whale was spotted breaching with its pod off Japan.
Jam Press/Splitpics/Noriyuki Hayakawa
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3 The Japanese wildlife photographer said its the first while orca he'd ever seen.
Jam Press/Splitpics/Noriyuki Hayakawa
3 The white whale was swimming with about five other normal-colored orcas, video shows.
Jam Press/Splitpics/Noriyuki Hayakawa
'I hope as many people as possible get to see it and appreciate how rare and beautiful these animals are.'
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The white whale is just one of a handful of albino orcas seen in the wild.
Hayakawa's snaps show that the whale has typical orca patterning on its body — but instead of black and white, it is different shades of white.
The white orca was first spotted by a tourist boat in the area, which radioed Hayakawa's tourist boat and urged them to get a closer look.
A small group of three white orcas has been previously reported in the region's frigid waters.
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Scientists still don't fully understand which condition causes the coloring, but it is believed the animal is either albino or leucistic, meaning it has lost some of its pigmentation.
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