The Wolves of the Sea
Orcas, dazzling and exquisite, become one with the azure lustrous waves of the ocean as the golden crepuscular ray slowly sets. Nonetheless, on the other side of the world, sixty-one killer whales have no memoir of the salty essence of the sea, where they rightfully belong nor the fiery red sunset. These magnificent marine mammals earned their scientific name Orcinus Orca from Orcus, the barbaric Roman god of the netherworld for their ability to advance on larger sea creatures. A killer whale’s diet mostly consists of fish, squid, seals, birds, and reptiles, consuming “approximately 3% to 4% of their body weight in food per day” (Marine). Strikingly, scientists found remnants of orcas in their stomachs. However, it is
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However, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) studies that there is a recent collapse in the population due to “alteration of ambient stream water temperatures” (Kris), and human activities such as logging and fish farming. As a result, the Orcinus Orca become apprehensive for the sudden decline in salmon, having to segregate from their suitable environment, and eventually die from starvation and the incapability to maintain homeostasis. As stated in the previous paragraph, contaminants are also a significant hazard to a killer whale’s natural habitat. A common pollutant is Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB), which is presently bootlegged but was frequently used in Europe from 1954 to 1984 although governments banned the contaminant in 1979. Europe presumably has exceeding levels of PCB because they delayed the ban by five years. Additional harmful substances that affect the orca’s environment are lead, mercury, abandoned marine toxic waste dumps and pollution of inland waters. Nonetheless, the pollutants and destructive human activities are beginning to be recognized worldwide as environmental problems by The European Union and Michael Jasny, a lawyer and senior policy analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, who are active in reducing undersea noise. Underwater noise results from ship trafficking which prevents killer whales and other marine mammals from communicating and finding prey, causing …show more content…
However, they cannot survive in ice-filled waters. Studies illustrate that the orca’s echolocation calls and diet relate to their environment, as the Orcinus Orca migrates to where their food supply travels. A short while ago, on May 31, 2016, a group of geneticists led by Andrew Foote deciphered the DNA codes of fifty killer whales and came to the conclusion that transients (orcas who hunt marine mammals) have a “genetic variation that helps them store vital nutrients between meals” (Radford). The geneticist’s genome sequencing project justifies that a killer whale’s DNA sequence plays a key role in the mammal’s adaptation to its environment. Examples of these genetic variations include the killer whale’s behaviors, such as their appetite for oil-rich diets or having to store key nutrients after every meal. Andrew Foote claims that the genetic variation “is linked to the geographic spread” (Radford). I support Foote’s assertion that a killer whale’s environment heavily relies on the marine mammal’s genome sequence. Currently, the Vancouver Aquarium is researching the killer whale’s
Sea World has been known to lie to the public when it comes to giving facts about these killer whales they have captive. One of the things this company claims is that the killer whales actually live longer in their care. According to the website (Sea World of Hurt) this is completely false, killer whales in the wild have a similar life span to humans, they can live from anywhere to 50-100 years. Held captive, these animals hardly live past twenty-five years. In the wild, an orcas dorsal fin is straight which is the way it should be. In captivity, you will mostly see their dorsal fins flopped over or completely collapsed. The reasons as to why their fins become this way is because they simply do not have enough s...
For 50 years SeaWorld has entertained park guests with numerous stunts involving the majestic sea creature, the orca, also referred to as the killer whale, and their human trainers. What the on-lookers don’t see at these shows is what goes on behind the scenes: how the whales got there in the first place, and the conditions in which they are housed.
Killer whales are one of the most fascinating displays of ocean life. The killer whale has characteristics that are important to its survival in the ocean. It is interesting to know that killer whales have a plentiful diet. It is astounding to see how killer whales behave in the ocean. I plan to tell you about the killer whale, its characteristics, its diet, and its behavior in the ocean as well as the predation of the orca.
The Killer Whale is a part of the toothed whale (odontoceti) suborder. The toothed whale suborder is consisted exclusively of porpoises, whales and dolphins that are born with teeth, instead of baleen plates. The Killer Whale is the largest animal in the dolphin family and is the only known to attack sharks, whales and other marine mammals.
Orca whales are the largest members of the dolphin family. Orcas are very curious creatures, they like to sky hop, which is when they poke their heads out of the water and look around, and they can also dive to as much as a hundred feet. These social animals live in pods and stay with them for their whole lives. They are so family oriented that they can may sleep together in a tight circle and have synchronized breathing. Orcas can grow up to thirty-two feet and can weigh nine tons. They typically eat five percent of their body weight and are amazing hunters. The lifespan of an orca in their natural habitat is about fifty years. This lifestyle for them is wonderful because they can swim as far as they want to and are free. Orcas should not be held captive because the capture process is dangerous, it is not good for their health, and their trainers are at risk. Free Willy. Dir Simon Wincer. 1993.Video. Warner Bros Home Video
The Sea Wolf is a novel written by Jack London. It is a story of how man has to overcome man, and in the face of brutality one must stand strong and not be afraid of the outcome. The Sea Wolf shows us how it is possible to overcome adversity even when it seems impossible. Jack London shows us how not even man can control a free will. For every man has a purpose on this earth, God put us all in the world to make a difference and not be afraid to stand up for beliefs.
The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.
After watching Blackfish, if you could only take one thing from the film it should have been that orcas are being kept in captivity under cruel conditions for the sole purpose of their investments and profits off of them. The film starts off with a 911-phone call as the person on the phone explains what is happening. We hear two different calls, one call about a trainer being in the water when they are not supposed to and another call about a whale eating a trainer. At 00:35, the first call has a woman on the line saying, “We actually have a trainer in the water with one of our whales-the whale that they’re not supposed to be in the water
Seaworld is a giant marine life theme park. The greatest attraction to these many theme park would be those killer whales. In fact, these killer whales are the face of the park. As gigant as these mammals are, seaworld is keeping them in some pretty tight quarters. Mr. Jett and Mr.Ventre says “Wild killer whales can swim a hundred miles daily as they socialize, forage, communicate, and breed. In stark contrast, with little horizontal or vertical space in their enclosures, captive orcas swim only limited distances, with most spending many hours surface resting.” The animals don't have the freedom they need. Also when taking the whales out of their natural habit the whales tend to be depressed and not as heath in that situation. They need their freedom in the big ocean blue. Bring them into the small living units, breeding whales in captivity all for the entertainment of humans. At young ages the calves are taken away from their mothers on to a new seaworld park. Mothers of the calves have even been seen denying their offspring.
The main focus in this article is the two killer whales that died from mosquito
Orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are actually the largest member of the dolphin family. They were given the name “killer whale” by sailors who often observed them attacking and killing seals, sea lions, walruses, penguins, dolphins, polar bears and even other whales (Orcas).
Imagine taking a nice, refreshing swim into the nice sandy beach, when all of a sudden a squid as big as a bus maybe even bigger started to swim towards you. How would you react? What would you be able to do? Would you be scared? Well let me tell you do not have to image them because they are real and live in the Ocean. Squids come in all sizes but at first no one knew these 60ft giants existed. I am going to tell you why the search for them started, when they finally got a grip on the search and when they had their breakthrough.
These two types typically avoid each other at all costs. In the wild, orcas are predators, meaning they hunt down their food. The whole species has varied diets, depending on which region of the world they come from. “Resident whales feed on fish and squid. Transients feed on seals, sea lions, porpoises, and baleen whales” (Francis).
"Ocean Pollution." MarineBio Conservation Society ~ Marine Biology, Ocean Life Conservation, Sea Creatures, Biodiversity, Research... Web. 19 May 2014.
Above the zoos and aquariums, who are just as guilty of exploiting animals for business, is SeaWorld. Since its inception in 1964, SeaWorld has been able to create a public image to the American general public that they treasure the protection of amphibious mammals like seals, otters and above all else, whales. The marine-mammal-themed amusement park has attracted millions of customers worldwide to see the likes of Shamu and Tilikum. What SeaWorld refuses to admit to the public and organizations like the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA), are inadequate living conditions for the animals, disturbing truths in the cooperation’s breeding practices, and how entertainment value is above all else. Although the extinction of the whale is a foreseeable consequence without proper protection, SeaWorld is contributing more to the problem than any amount of money they give to ORCA and other organizations.