태평양에서 발견된 세계적 희귀종 흰색 범고래 Rare All-White Orca Whales Spotted in Pacific Ocean: VIDEO

Rare All-White Orca Whales Spotted in Pacific Ocean

By Leah Pellegrini September 6, 2016

 

  세계적 희귀종인 흰색 범고래가 북서 태평양 러시아 쿠릴섬 인근에서 발견됐다.

몸 전체가 완전히 흰색인 이 고래종은 6년 전에도 한번 나타난 적이 있는데

1만 마리 중 유일한 선천성 색소 결핍증에 걸린 변색종이다. 

진주색의 이 변색 범고래는 현재 최소 4마리가 늘어나 총 8마리로 추정되고 있다.

불행하게도 고래들은 번식 때문에 한 지역에 모여 있다.

사람들의 포획 대상이기 때문이다.

소수의 암컷들이 아쿠아리움용으로 포획되거나 죽는다면 번식에 치명타를 입힐 수 

있을 것이다.

극동 러시아 범고래프로젝트에 참여하고 있는 에릭 호익의 얘기다.

황기철  콘페이퍼 에디터

ki chul, hwang conpaper editor 

Whether or not you’ve ever witnessed one in person, you can likely recognize a killer whale immediately: the 8,000-pound beasts have sleek black bodies with round white patches, with a cuteness that belies their powerful predatory nature. However, an atypical crew of the massive mammals has recently appeared in the northwestern Pacific Ocean near Russia’s Kuril Islands, and these ones have skin that’s entirely white.

One such creature was first spotted in the area around six years ago and dubbed Iceberg for its coloring. Now, its pod has expanded to include at least four more (and potentially up to eight total) pearly-pigmented orcas—a surprising shift, since only one in 10,000 killer whales are albinos. This discovery represents an unfortunate omen: a group of them together in one zone of water means they’re likely inbreeding, probably because of human interference. “If a few females are captured for aquariums or knocked down for other reasons, then you can really put the breeding unit in jeopardy,” which forces the whales to inbreed to survive, explains Erich Hoyt of the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP). 

Why might these creatures bear white skin in the first place? One possible explanation is a genetic disorder called Chediak-Higashi syndrome, which causes both albinism and susceptibility to respiratory infection and nervous system issues. Without their traditionally black coloring, the animals are highly sensitive to sunlight and frigid waters, vulnerable to predators, and impeded in their abilities to communicate with fellow members of their species. None of this is positive news, but it does spark special appreciation for the majestic sea dwellers, urging a closer consideration of the ways that human beings must better support oceanic life.

Russian Orca/FEROP: Website | Facebook
via [IFLScience]

All images via Russian Orca/FEROP.

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