Rare Gray Baby Orca Spotted In Waters Off Dana Point

DANA POINT (CBSLA) — A rare gray baby orca was spotted by a whale-watching excursion out of Dana Point this weekend.

The calf, which is believed to be just a month old, was frolicking Sunday with a pod of charcoal-black killer whales near the Catalina Channel as passengers on a Dana Wharf Whale Watching boat looked on.

Experts are not sure why the calf is gray, but its pigment could eventually darken over time.

This is the second time the rare orca has been spotted. Whale watchers in Monterey Bay in Northern California also noticed the young orca last week as it swam with a pod of about 10 older orcas.