killer whale
dr. dolittle | January 13, 2017 Image of an orca and her calf from Wikimedia Commons
Orcas are one of only three species of mammals that go through menopause, including humans of course. A new study published in Current Biology may have discovered why this happens in killer whales.
Examination of 43 years worth of data collected by the Center for Whale Research and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, revealed a remarkable finding about the costs of reproduction in orcas. Older mothers tend to spend more time taking care of the family, so to speak, by making sure her offspring know where or when to find food. While this…
grrlscientist | February 26, 2010tags: Tilikum, Tillikum, Tilly, Orcinus orca, Killer Whale, SeaWorld, Sea World, Orlando, Florida, whales, animals, news, behavior, streaming video
Are orcas too brainy for captive life? Should they all live only in "the wild"? This video is only the beginning of the debate .. what do you think?
grrlscientist | February 25, 2010tags: Tilikum, Tillikum, Tilly, Orcinus orca, Killer Whale, SeaWorld, Sea World, Orlando, Florida, whales, animals, news, behavior, streaming video
The latest word is that Tilikum will not be euthanized in retaliation for being associated with his third human death. Of course, if the SeaWorld officials did decide to euthanize him, this raises several problems, not the least of which are the publicity and the mechanics of carrying out this animal's demise.
This realist (me) has decided that SeaWorld avoided the "euthanization problem" in the case of Tilikum due to two reasons, and two…
grrlscientist | February 25, 2010tags: Tilikum, Tillikum, Tilly, Orcinus orca, Killer Whale, SeaWorld, Sea World, Orlando, Florida, whales, animals, news, behavior, streaming video
Sea World officials say Dawn Brancheau was pulled into the tank by the adult male orca, Tilikum (also spelled "Tillikum"). Witnesses say she was in the tank and was dragged underwater by her ponytail by the whale.
The Connells saw the entire event happen just after they finished their "Lunch with Shamu," just before 2 p.m. They said the Tilikum (also spelled as "Tillikum") and Brancheau had been playful during the entire lunch. The Connells…
grrlscientist | February 24, 2010tags: Tilikum, Tillikum, Tilly, Orcinus orca, Killer Whale, SeaWorld, Sea World, Orlando, Florida, whales, animals, news, behavior, streaming video
Whale trainer, Dawn Brancheau, with male orca, Tilikum (also spelled as "Tillikum"), at SeaWorld Orlando.
Yesterday afternoon, experienced whale trainer, 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau, was attacked and killed by 30-year-old male orca, Tilikum (also spelled as "Tillikum"), during the afternoon show at SeaWorld, in Orlando, Florida. The 12,300 pound male orca, Orcinus orca, apparently grabbed his trainer and thrashed her to death in front of the…
grrlscientist | February 3, 2009tags: Luna the orca, Orcinus orca, orca, killer whale, wildlife, streaming video
This video is from my other home. This is footage of Luna, an orca ("killer whale") Orcinus orca, who was a southern resident (fish eating) whale who tragically died 10 March 2006 when she was hit by a large tugboat in British Columbia's Nookta Sound. Luna lived a solitary life after she found herself alone hundreds of miles away from her feeding grounds. Luna was lonely. She was very affectionate and social, making friends with boats, humans and other animals during her short and sad life [2:38].
zooillogix | March 10, 2008This picture of a rare white orca was taken off the coast of Alaska's Aleutian Islands last month by researchers on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ship. Looks like he could use a bleaching. The whale had been spotted years ago but has eluded researchers since.
According to the Jaws-inspired masterpiece Orca (1977) - "The killer whale is one of the most intelligent creatures in the universe. Incredibly, he is the only animal other than man who kills for revenge. He has one mate, and if she is harmed by man, he will hunt down that person with a relentless, terrible…
zooillogix | December 19, 2007A pod of Orcas surrounds a seal on an ice sheet and creates waves to try and knock it off. This reminds me of when you buy a candy bar and it gets stuck by the wrapper and you have to shake the machine to get it out.
Thanks to Zooillogix reader extraordinaire Don Quixjote (aka ali) for forwarding along.