A White Killer Whale in the Central Aleutians

We observed a white adult male killer whale (Orcinus orca) on 7 August 2000 off the north side of Adak Island, Aleutians. An open saddle and a rounded dorsal fin tip suggest that this whale belongs to the fish-eating (“resident”) ecotype. A circular scar matching a cookie-cutter shark (Isistius sp.)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARCTIC
Main Authors: Renner, Martin, Bell, Kevin
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic10
http://arctic.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/viewFile/10/10
Description
Summary:We observed a white adult male killer whale (Orcinus orca) on 7 August 2000 off the north side of Adak Island, Aleutians. An open saddle and a rounded dorsal fin tip suggest that this whale belongs to the fish-eating (“resident”) ecotype. A circular scar matching a cookie-cutter shark (Isistius sp.) bite mark suggested that the animal originated in warmer waters. Photographs and description provided here should enable individual identification should this animal be seen again.