Rare species of killer whale caught on video
The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has caught video footage of a pod of extremely rare killer whales in the South Indian Ocean.
The ship, called Bob Barker, came acrossthe 'Ecotype D' orca while sailing through Crozet and Kerguelen archipelagos on Boxing Day.
The video was uploaded to YouTube with the caption: "On 26 December, 2014, while in pursuit of the poaching vessel Thunder, the crew of Sea Shepherd ship, Bob Barker, encountered a pod of rare "Ecotype D" Orcas."
According to 3News, footage of the event was analysed by US Orca expert Robert Pitman of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who confirmed the animals were "definitely a Type D Killer whale".
He added: "I don't think they have ever been filmed alive."
Ecotype D orcas are characterised by their large, bulbous foreheads and tiny post-ocular eye markings.
They were first identified in 1955 when a pod stranded on Paraparaumu Beach north of Wellington in New Zealand. It is believed they are the second-oldest type of killer whale, after genetically diverging from other orca species around 390,000 years ago.
Chief engineer Erwin Vermeulen said there were 13 whales in the pod, which used the six-metre swell to surf across the ship's bow.
Speaking to Stuff.co.nz, he said: "For almost an hour the surf-show continued and was accompanied by bow riding, tail-slaps and breaches."
The latest spot takes the total number of sightings of Ecotype D orcas to 13.
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