A rare white orca calf has been spotted along the Washington coast, delighting whale watchers lucky enough to see him.. Tl’uk, whose name means … All Rights Reserved. A rare, white orca named Tl’uk has been seen for the first time in Alaska waters. So why is this little orca a different colour to the rest of his family? 250.384.4444 | 1.800.470.3474, © 2021 SpringTide Whale Watching & Eco Tours. the fish’s numbers have significantly declined, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Truly a once in a lifetime experience. Killer whales are usually black an white, but this particular whale was solid white — an extremely rare occurrence. Washington whale watchers have followed Tl'uk, a one-year-old killer whale calf, since his birth. Tl’uk, the two-year old transient orca whale, is not really white, but grey. Tl’uk, the rare white whale, is part if a Bigg's transient killer whale family, known for eating marine mammals and visiting the region. So, it seems that if you’re out in the waters these transient killer whales call home be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a little grey shape that’s splashing around a bit differently from the other orca. The young’s mother is T046B1 which makes his name T046B1B…. Paul Pudwell caught a sight of Tl’uk, the rare white killer whale off Sooke waters in the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Tuesday, Aug. 26. A rare white orca calf has been spotted along the Washington coast, delighting whale watchers lucky enough to see him. Beyond their shrinking prey, they’re vulnerable to toxic chemicals like PCBs, noise pollution that interferes with their communication and oil spills, particularly the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident. Tl'uk is a grayish-white Bigg's killer whale that was first spotted in November 2018 By Kelli Bender. EDIT: Possibly Tl’uk the grey orca! Since being spotted in November 2018 the crew at SpringTide have been lucky enough to see Tl’uk many times. A Warner Media Company. SpringTide I – Fishing & Private Charters. not very catchy I know hence the nick name Tl’uk. Gless said she’s not sure how Tl’uk got his coloring–it worried researchers who first thought it signaled his health was declining. (Facebook/Sooke Coastal Explorations) Rare white orca spotted near Sooke two weeks after hunting in Alaska. A Petersburg-based whale watching and charter company documented the white orca in the Inside Passage this summer. Well, he is not an albino as his eyes are not pale or reddish. A second theory is Chédiak-Higashi Syndrome, this affects the immune system and therefor the animal’s longevity. To complete your CNN profile and ensure you are able to receive important account information, please verify your email address. Success! Tiny Tl’uk was first spotted in November 2018, and he’s about a year old, she said. The two-year old transient orca whale is not really white, but grey. Password reset email has been resent. Keeping up with them parallel to their position wasn’t even an option with … If an account exists, we've sent an email with a link to reset your password. He’s not an albino whale–he’s more of a cloudy grey–but it’s still unusual for orcas to be anything but black-and-white, a tool they use to camouflage themselves while stalking prey. This grey/white orca T46B1B, nicknamed Tl’uk, was identified by Alaska Sea Adventures off Cape Bendel, Frederick Sound, August 7 th, 2020. A white killer whale? More. This family pod is often seen in and around the waters of Vancouver Island. He and his pod swim anywhere between eastern Alaska and northern California, said Towers. While it is uncommon to see, a researcher says Tl'uk, a white orca living near the waters off Vancouver Island, isn't that hard to find. Author of the article: He said the white whale, known as Tl’uk, is a juvenile whale born in 2018. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This family pod is often seen in and around the waters of Vancouver Island. Verification email has been resent. Forget white walkers, it’s all about this white w’orca -Tl’uk! © 2020 Cable News Network. “He breaks the water in a very similar way to a harbour porpoise- he pushes the water out the way with his head rather than gliding through it smoothly to catch a breath.”. Success! (for more on what a transient orca is click here) Only time will tell how this special and rare orca will do- we’re excited to see! Please click the button below to agree to our Terms and Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. One of only about five alive in the world! Yes! Researchers aren't sure why Tl'uk doesn't share his family's black-and-white coloring, but he appears to be in good health, steadily gaining weight and keeping up with his pod. Perhaps another clue or symptom of Tl’uk’s grey colour? A white orca! The rare white orca spotted off Sooke last weekend is sticking around. The final idea is that Tl’uk could just grow into his natural black and white colour as he grows older- perhaps mum had just run out of black ink at the time of birth! An incredibly rare white orca calf dubbed “Tl'uk” has been spotted off the coast of Washington State. An incredibly rare white killer whale, which is thought to be one of only five in the world, has been spotted near Alaska. An incredibly rare all-white orca whale has been spotted off the coast of Alaska. He’s been spotted a handful of times in the Salish Sea by local whale watchers and cropped up again this weekend, Island Adventures Whale Watching lead naturalist Erin Gless told CNN. Forget white walkers, it’s all about this white w’orca -Tl’uk! “It’s a coast Salish word, I believe means bright moon, appropriately,” Garrett said. A once in a lifetime sighting, killer whales with leucism are incredibly rare and even researchers never expect to see one in their career. Paul Pudwell considers himself lucky to have crossed paths with a rare white orca several times over the past 18 months. Translated, his name comes from the Coast Salish word for ‘moon’ and it’s easy to see why he was given it! Tl’uk, whose name means “moon” in Coastal Salish, is already something of a local celebrity in north coastal Washington. He was later spotted in 2015- a positive sign that grey orca can live for a substantial amount of time! Washington’s resident orcas that feast exclusively on salmon are having less luck–the fish’s numbers have significantly declined, and as its prey shrinks, so do orca populations in the Pacific Northwest. “ I’ve noticed that Tl’uk seems to swim a bit differently than the other orca I have seen out in the wild. The white orca could have one of a possible three current running theories: leucism which is where an animal partially loses its colour pigmentation in skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticles, but not the eyes. However, they can most often be found hanging around Vancouver Island, particularly interior waters like the Strait of Georgia or the Johnstone Strait. Tl’uk was determined to be a 2-year-old Bigg’s killer whale. Chimo passed of pneumonia at age 4. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network. A RARE white killer whale spotted off the coast of Alaska is thought to be one of only five in the world. A once in a lifetime sighting, killer whales with leucism are incredibly rare and even researchers never expect to see one in their career. Published Named Tl’uk, the two-year-old pale male was swimming alongside a pair of adult orcas when he was identified by whale watchers on August 7. Its one thing to see a killer breach, its another to see a WHITE killer whale breach! A RARE white killer whale spotted off the coast of Alaska is thought to be one of only five in the world. 's white orca lives near Vancouver Island and it isn't hard to miss, according to CTV News Vancouver Island. Island Adventures Whale Watching. This juvenile killer whale, first spotted in late November 2018, is part of the T046B pod. His gray-white appearance isn’t due to albinism, as one might think, however—albino orcas have pure-white skin and pink eyes. PHOTO: Most of Tl’uk’s body is a pale white. Tl’uk the white orca has been wowing onlookers all over Puget Sound this month. Pinterest. By Caitlin O'Kane August 20, 2020 / 2:39 ... Tl'uk is a two-year-old male killer whale. Tl'uk is B.C. Rare white orca spotted in Juan de Fuca Strait Only 10 orcas worldwide have been documented with the condition, and scientists believe Tl’uk is one of five living right now. “ Tl ’ uk, is a pale white Canadian Bigg ’ s/Transient killer.... Sea lions- which luckily are in a huge range of waters from Chédiak-Higashi Syndrome two-year! And Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy due to albinism, as one might,... Grey colour the T046B pod a 2-year-old Bigg ’ s/Transient killer whale spotted off coast. 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