Often, albino animals are shunned by their pack because the white colouring can make them stand out to predators.<\/p>\n
But this marvel of nature luckily seemed to be accepted by their pod as they were seen jumping alongside other whales who had the usual colouring.<\/p>\n
Despite the protection of the other whales, the albino orca was covered in gnarly scars to show its battle wounds from the open ocean.<\/p>\n
The unique orca is not not \u2018true\u2019 albino, which is caused by a genetic trait that means the affected animal produces no melanin at all \u2013 the compound that gives skin, hair, feathers and eyes their colour.<\/p>\n
True albinos will be completely white and have red eyes \u2013 a colour given by the red blood in vessels which are usually hidden behind the iris showing through.<\/p>\n
The creamy-coloured beauty instead had vaguely whiter patches surrounding the orca\u2019s chin and eyes which showed it was\u00a0leucistic \u2013 meaning it lacks pigmentation, rather than having none at all.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/28\/11\/97777495-14655341-image-a-1_1745836633702.jpg\")
<\/p>\nA rare white killer whale was spotted\u00a0off Japan \u2018s volcanic island Hokkaido,\u00a0one of the country\u2019s northern-most islands<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"It](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/28\/11\/97777497-14655341-image-a-2_1745836642715.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt is not known what effect the white colour has on the affected orcas but its added visibility may mean they attract more attention from rivals<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Sometimes\u00a0albino](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/04\/28\/11\/97777493-14655341-image-a-3_1745836649123.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSometimes\u00a0albino animals are shunned by their pack but this marvel of nature luckily seemed to be accepted by their pod<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The glaring scars might also suggest leucism as the scar tissue contains more pigment than the rest of the skin, hence why the wounds are difficult to miss.<\/p>\n
Photographer Noriyuki Hayakawa captured the albino orca after\u00a0another nearby tourist vessel spotted them and radioed Mr Hayakawa\u2019s boat.<\/p>\n
\u2018My legs were shaking with excitement,\u2019 the 64-year-old said. \u2018It was the first time in my life I\u2019d seen a white orca. I was desperate to get a shot, they swim fast and only surface for a moment.\u2019<\/p>\n
The freelance photographer, based in Sapporo, has spent the past 15 years documenting the orca population around Japan.<\/p>\n
But nothing prepared him for what he experienced that day on a tourist boat in the frigid northern waters.<\/p>\n
The sighting last summer was entirely unexpected, as Mr Hayakawa hadn\u2019t set out that day specifically looking for the rare creature,\u00a0as reported by What\u2019s The Jam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A life-long whale-watcher was \u2018shaking with excitement\u2019 when he spotted a rare white killer whale while swimming\u00a0in a pod of normal coloured orcas. The albino or leucistic orca is part of a small group of just three white orcas known to have appeared off\u00a0Japan\u2018s volcanic island Hokkaido. Often, albino animals are shunned by their pack…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n