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A "rare" orca whale was seen among a pod of fellow whales along the coast of California this week.
A pod of killer whales, including a rare white calf, was spotted off the coast of Newport Beach, marking their return after migrating from Mexico. The sighting was made by whale watchers from Davey’s Locker & Newport Landing on Monday (April 29). The pod included a unique white killer whale calf, known as Frosty, due to its unusual light pigmentation, per Stu News Newport.
The pod was first spotted about nine miles off the coast of Newport Beach during a morning whale watching cruise. According to Captain Dani on the Catallac, the pod consisted of at least five to seven orcas, including Frosty. The killer whales appeared to be feeding on a large chunk of an unknown animal, likely a dolphin or small whale.
This particular pod has been sighted as far north as British Columbia, and before being seen in April 2023, their last reported sighting was in Morro Bay in October 2022, before being seen a year ago off Newport Beach. The orcas, which are endangered largely due to human activity, typically spend most of their time off the coast of Mexico but occasionally swim up north, per the LA Times.
The return of the orcas to Southern California's waters is a rare event that has excited both whale watchers and enthusiasts. The scarcity of their sightings is largely due to the fact that killer whales are apex predators, often on the move to hunt their prey.