Japan: White Killer Whale Filmed off Rausu, Hokkaido in Rare Encounter

A rare white killer whale has been spotted off the coast of Rausu, Hokkaido, in northeastern Japan — an exceptionally uncommon sighting even by global standards. The white orca was filmed on Monday, June 8, among a pod of killer whales approximately 3.5 miles (about 6 km) north-northeast of Rausu Port. The animal is believed to be a leucistic individual rather than an albino — leucism results in reduced pigmentation while retaining the ability to produce melanin, unlike albinism, which causes red eyes. The orca's eyes appear dark, which is consistent with leucism.

Canada: Another Grey Whale Spotted in Vancouver’s English Bay, Drawing Large Crowds

A whale was spotted in English Bay, Vancouver, on Thursday, drawing large crowds to the shoreline. It remains unclear whether the animal is the same grey whale that made headlines earlier this week after colliding with a jet ski near Stanley Park. That whale was last seen Tuesday, swimming out to sea and reported to be unharmed.

Climate change delaying blue whale migration: expert

STORY: Climate change delaying blue whale migration: expert SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 13, 2023 DATELINE: Nov. 14, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:54 LOCATION: Canberra CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of the whales playing in the Water (date: Aug. 23, 2023) 2. various of the ocean STORYLINE: Warming oceans are delaying the migration of blue whales, Australian experts have warned. Karen Edyvane, a marine biologist from Australian National University, on Monday raised concerns about significant delays to the migration of pygmy blue whales past the Timor-Leste coastline. A subspecies of blue whale that grows up to 24 meters long, pygmy blue whales migrate thousands of kilometers south every year from breeding grounds off the coast of Indonesia past Timor-Leste to Australian waters in October and November. However, Edyvane told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she is "extremely alarmed" after not sighting any whales during the last six weeks in Timor-Leste. A former senior government scienti

Whale in rare sighting in Osaka confirmed dead

An 8-meter-long whale spotted near the mouth of the Yodo River in Osaka earlier this week was confirmed dead Friday, local officials said, after it had remained in the same spot for days and was not observed spouting water. Workers of the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan in the western Japan city had approached the large mammal by boat to check if it was breathing, while Tsutomu Tamura of the Tokyo-based Institute of Cetacean Research said that the blowhole that the whale would use to breathe had been submerged underwater since Wednesday. The Osaka Ports and Harbors Bureau is expected to discuss how to dispose of the whale's carcass.

Whale spotted near mouth of Yodo River in Osaka

An 8-meter-long whale was spotted near the mouth of the Yodo River in Osaka on Monday, a rare sighting of the large mammal in Osaka Bay, according to the coast guard. The coast guard also warned ships navigating the area to watch out for the animal.