Antarctic Orcas
These were two animals from a large pod of Orcas that we found adjacent to the sea ice on the Antarctic peninsula. Orcas in the Antarctica tend to look yellow rather than white but this is not their own pigmentation. This is a coating of algae known as diatoms, which gradually build up on cetaceans. The older the animal, the yellower it looks. It wasn't just Orcas that were stained. The pale right lower lip of Fin Whales appeared yellow, and even the Blue Whales looked a little greenish.
Orcas can be divided into types that are rather similar in appearance, yet are ecologically very different, and have not interbred with other Orca types for thousands of years. There are three types that occur in Antarctica and this one is a Type B (Pack Ice Orca) which have a very large eye patch and the rear of the body is paler than the front. They hunt the edge of the pack ice primarily for seals.
Antarctic Orcas
These were two animals from a large pod of Orcas that we found adjacent to the sea ice on the Antarctic peninsula. Orcas in the Antarctica tend to look yellow rather than white but this is not their own pigmentation. This is a coating of algae known as diatoms, which gradually build up on cetaceans. The older the animal, the yellower it looks. It wasn't just Orcas that were stained. The pale right lower lip of Fin Whales appeared yellow, and even the Blue Whales looked a little greenish.
Orcas can be divided into types that are rather similar in appearance, yet are ecologically very different, and have not interbred with other Orca types for thousands of years. There are three types that occur in Antarctica and this one is a Type B (Pack Ice Orca) which have a very large eye patch and the rear of the body is paler than the front. They hunt the edge of the pack ice primarily for seals.