Rare ‘albino' killer whale stuns the world: Viral video shows elusive orca swimming with its pod

Hindustan Times

29-04-2025

A photographer spotted an incredibly rare 'albino' orca leaping out of the ocean along with its pod. A video of the extraordinary sight captured by the Japanese whale-watcher stunned the internet. The killer whale was spotted off the coast of Japan's volcanic island Hokkaido, reported Dailymail.
Noriyuki Hayakawa shared a series of photos and a video on his personal Instagram page soon after the encounter last year. However, the visuals have recently captured people's attention.
'It is believed that the discovery was 'Sightseeing Boat'. I was on the 'Shiretoko Nature Cruise Evergreen38'. This is the first white orcas I've come across after 15 years of photographing Rajan orcas. Thank you to the Lajan tourist boat staff for showing me,' read the caption of Hayakawa's video when translated from Japanese to English.
The video he shared shows a pod of whales jumping out of the water, and one of them is nothing like the other. While all the other creatures are black with white patches on some parts of their bodies, one of them is entirely white.
A post shared by Shiretoko_Orca_Photo_album 早川 徳幸 (@shiretoko_orca_photo_album)
According to Dailymail, the white orca is not a 'true albino, " a genetic trait in which the skin doesn't produce melanin. The outlet reported that this creature is leucistic, which means it lacks pigmentation.
"My legs were shaking with excitement," Hayakawa told Dailymail. "It was the first time in my life I'd seen a white orca. I was desperate to get a shot, they swim fast and only surface for a moment,' he added.
'This photo means so much to me' he told the outlet, adding, 'I've spent over a decade photographing orcas and this is the first white one I've ever seen.'
'I hope as many people as possible get to see it and appreciate how rare and beautiful these animals are,' he continued.