Animal-Watchers Stunned After Spotting Pair of Rare White Orcas off the Coast of Japan

Whale watchers off the coast of Japan couldn't believe their eyes when they saw two rare white orcas swimming together as part of a pod.

The orcas were sighted on July 24 on a whale-watching cruise in the Kunashirskiy Strait, a 20-mile stretch of water between Hokkaido and Kunashir's northern islands.

One of the two was older and had somewhat darker skin, while the other was younger and had plainly apparent scratch scars along its back, according to Mai, a Gojiraiwa-Kanko tour business employee.

Orca Sightings

Because the animals left have fewer possible partners to select from, genetic diversity decreases as a species' population shrinks.

It might highlight some previously considered to be genetically uncommon, depending on the genes inherited by those remaining people.

This includes uncommon genetic abnormalities that make it difficult for an animal to thrive in the wild, perhaps hastening the extinction of the species.

While it is unknown what effect leucism has on the lives of orcas that inherit it, it does make them more noticeable, which might hinder their hunting abilities and draw unwelcome attention from rivals.

The characteristic, on the other hand, isn't necessarily bad. Kermode bears, for example, are typically black but, owing to a recessive trait, are increasingly being born white.

Scientists discovered that the feature enables them to catch more fish since salmon are harder to notice.

For the latest animal news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!