Imagine whale-watching with friends or a group of seafarers, and you see a celebrity killer whale. This was the case with a group of seafarers touring the coast of Southern California a couple of days ago.
Touring with the Newport Landing Whale Watching, the group sighted the famous white orca nicknamed “Frosty,” swimming with pods. Following the memorable encounter, the company that led the on-sea excursion posted a video on Facebook, garnering thousands of views.
Notably, Frosty rose to widespread acclaim in 2019, capturing the hearts of many after its first sighting near Monterey Bay in Northern California. Besides being a newborn then, Frosty stood out for its distinct color.
Most killer whales are born black, with white patches near the eyes and a white underbelly. However, as its name implies, Frosty is much lighter in color than most whales. The four-year-old calf has a unique pale color caused by a genetic condition.
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According to reports, the famous orca’s distinct color is “extremely rare.” Also, a 2022 study from the Oceanic Society says Frosty is one of, at most, six killer whales in the world with the rare condition.
Following Frosty’s encounter with fame, many became curious about its condition, which experts called leucism. Leucism causes a partial loss of pigmentation in some animals. As a result, the animal’s skin or coating looks faded, white, or patchy.
Although the condition sounds like albinism, it’s not. In albinism, a genetic condition causes the body to produce less or no melanin. Despite the 2022 study, others claim Frosty might be suffering from the Chediak-Higashi syndrome.
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Chimo, another famously white killer whale, suffered from the syndrome before eventually dying from complications in the 1970s. Although Frosty has a distinct color from most killer whales, it’s every bit a whale as the regular black and white ones.
Like most killer whales, Frosty is a top marine predator found chiefly in open seas. While the name sounds scary, killer whales do not hurt humans in the wild. Instead, they feed on fishes, squids, and other sea animals.
However, the same cannot be said of orcas in captivity. These deserve their fearful reputation, as there have been incidents of killer whales drowning their trainers in captivity. While killer whales are not bad news for humans in the wild, they are the only predators of great white sharks. Also, they usually have long life spans.
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According to sources, female orcas can live for as long as 50-90 years. On the other hand, male orcas can have a shorter span than females and live for as long as 30-60 years. While Frosty’s condition remains a mystery, experts say the celebrity whale originates from a family of orcas called the Bigg’s killer whales.
Before Frosty’s recent sighting on April 29, whale watchers last saw the celebrity killer whale in 2023. Following the sighting, the boat’s captain, Dani Fasser, termed the encounter “extremely lucky.” Fasser isn’t wrong; it’s not every day a group of whale watchers sees killer whales, talkless of a celebrity whale that has captured the hearts of many.
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