'Extremely rare' all-white killer whale calf dubbed 'Frosty' with milky skin due to genetic condition is spotted in pod off California coast

An 'extremely rare' killer whale calf named 'Frosty' after its milky all-white skin has been spotted in a pod off the coast of California. 

Frosty has a rare genetic condition that means its black patches are much lighter than other killer whales, giving it its distinctive white appearance. 

The four-year-old whale was spotted on Monday off the coast of Newport Beach in California.

It's not clear if Frosty is male or female, but it was last spotted a year ago, and the captain of the boat watching cruise, Dani Fasser, told Fox he was 'extremely lucky' to locate the pod. 

He said: 'We were watching a pair of giant fin whales, and all of a sudden, she [a passenger] saw puffs in the distance, which were definitely not a dolphin.'

Video of the encounter shows passengers gasping 'in awe' as the whales swim up to and frolic around the boat. 

At first. two large adults with standard coloring appear, blowing puffs of air and flipping through the water. 

Then under the water. a distinctive white back appears, rolling over to reveal Frosty's unique all white back and sides.

Its not known what exact condition causes Frosty's unusual coloring, but it is possibly thought to be leucism or a syndrome called Chediak-Higashi. 

Jessica Roam, an education and communications Manager at Newport Landing and Davey’s Locker Whale Watching, told Fox29: 'Our whale-watching boat the Catallac was the first to spot the famous killer whale pod about nine miles off the coast of Newport Beach this morning during one of our morning whale-watching cruises.

'Sightings of killer whales are few and far between along the Southern California coastline, so it was a very special encounter.' 

Frosty's pod have been spotted as far north as British Columbia. 

Their last reported sighting was in Morro Bay, California, in October 2022. 

Killer whales are very social animals and will stay with their mothers in the same pod for their entire lives. 

They establish complex social hierarchies within each pod, led by female members of the group. 

Pods typically have two to 15 members but sometimes larger groups come together to hunt or mate.