An incredibly rare white orca has been spotted off the Southeast coast of Alaska, prompting excitement in among researchers and scientists. Per CBC, it's believed there are roughly only five of the creatures in existence.
What's more, marine biology PhD candidate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Stephanie Hayes, said that only 10 white orcas have been recorded in all history.
Taking to Instagram to share a video - as well as a stunning image - of the orca, the account worldtravelstephanie wrote:
"A white killer whale? Yes! One of only about five alive in the world! Meet Tl’uk, the two year old white killer whale/orca from the Canadian Bigg’s/Transient Killer Whale pod T046.
"A once in a lifetime sighting, killer whales with leucism are incredibly rare and even researchers never expect to see one in their career. Tl’uk appears to be a healthy member of his pod, and we welcome him on his first documented sighting in Alaska!"
You can see the beautiful creature for yourself right here:
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And commenters were blown away by the footage.
"Wow, this is incredible," wrote one Instagram user, while another added, "Wow, u were really lucky I guess".
"That's Awesome! We were just talking about this fella the other day. We have not seen him in our area of the Salish Sea yet this season. So happy to see he is doing well. Great Find!" Added another Instagram user.
"We knew immediately we were witnessing something special," Hayes said, per CBC. "It was a dream come true."
"I never thought in the thousand years that I would be watching one right in front of me or I would see one in my own waters," she added.
Hayes revealed that scientists believe that white orcas might be at a disadvantage when it comes to hunting, due to their white glow being conspicuous when they're sneaking up on prey.
"Scientists might see glimpses of them but [have] never had one so close to home where you can really watch it through its development," she explained, per CBC. "It would be really amazing to be able to answer basic questions about killer whales with leucism and just to be able to watch a wonderful pod grow."