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The orca or killer whale is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas can be found in all of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas.
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of San Juan County.
The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine is the largest veterinary school in the United States. Established in 1948, the school is the primary health resource for California's various animal populations. In 2020, the school was again ranked No. 1 in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and in 2021, ranked No. 2 in the world by QS World University Rankings. The school is located in the southwest corner of the main campus of the University of California, Davis. The current Dean of Veterinary Medicine is Dr. Mark Stetter.
The Vancouver Aquarium is a public aquarium located in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In addition to being a major tourist attraction for Vancouver, the aquarium is a centre for marine research, ocean literacy education, climate activism, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation.
Lolita, formerly known as Tokitae, is a female orca from the L Pod of southern resident orcas. She has been in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida since September 24, 1970. As of 2022, Lolita is the second oldest orca in captivity behind Corky at SeaWorld San Diego.
The Salish Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean located in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington. It includes the Strait of Georgia, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and an intricate network of connecting channels and adjoining waterways.
Namu was a male captive killer whale. He was the first healthy killer whale to be captured and was the first to perform with a human in the water. He was the subject of much media attention, including a "starring" role in the 1966 film Namu, the Killer Whale.
Orcas are large, powerful apex predators. In the wild, there have been no reliably verified fatal attacks on humans. In captivity, there have been several non-fatal and four fatal attacks on humans since the 1970s. Experts are divided as to whether the injuries and deaths were accidental or deliberate attempts to cause harm.
Sea otter conservation began in the early 20th century, when the sea otter was nearly extinct due to large-scale commercial hunting. The sea otter was once abundant in a wide arc across the North Pacific ocean, from northern Japan to Alaska to Mexico. By 1911, hunting for the animal's luxurious fur had reduced the sea otter population to fewer than 2000 individuals in the most remote and inaccessible parts of its range. The IUCN lists the sea otter as an endangered species. Threats to sea otters include oil spills, and a major spill can rapidly kill thousands of the animals.
A number of orcas, also called killer whales, are held in captivity by humans for breeding or performance purposes. The practice of capturing and displaying orcas in exhibitions began in the 1960s, and they soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness, and sheer size. As of August 19, 2021, there were 57 orcas in captivity worldwide, 30 of which were captive-born. At that time, there were 19 orcas in the SeaWorld parks.
Orcas, also known as Killer whales, have appeared in several movies and many documentaries.
Michael Andrew Bigg was an English-born Canadian marine biologist who is recognized as the founder of modern research on killer whales. With his colleagues, he developed new techniques for studying killer whales and conducted the first population census of the animals. Bigg's work in wildlife photo-identification enabled the longitudinal study of individual killer whales, their travel patterns, and their social relationships in the wild, and revolutionized the study of cetaceans.
The southern resident orcas, also known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), are the smallest of four separate, non-interbreeding communities of the exclusively fish-eating ecotype of orca in the northeast portion of the North Pacific Ocean. The fish-eating ecotype was historically given the name 'resident,' but other ecotypes are also resident in the area. The National Marine Fisheries Service listed this distinct population segment of orcas as endangered, effective from 2005, under the Endangered Species Act. In Canada the SRKW are listed as endangered on Species at Risk Act Schedule 1. They are commonly referred to as the "orcas of the Salish Sea", "fish-eating orcas", "southern residents", or the "SRKW population". Unlike some other resident communities, the SRKW is only one clan (J) that consists of 3 pods with several matrilines within each pod. As of July 2021 there are only 74 individuals. The world's oldest known orca, Granny or J2, had belonged to and led the J pod of the SRKW population. As of October 2016, she is missing and presumed deceased. J2 was estimated to have been born around 1911, which means she would have been 105 years old at the time of her death, and the oldest known orca to date. On July 24, 2018, the first calf born in three years died after being alive for only half an hour.
Granny, also known as J2, was an orca. Early estimates placed her birth in 1911, which would have meant she was 105 years old at the time of her death. However, this estimate was later revealed to have been based on mistaken information. More recent studies put her at 65-80 years old. If she was 105, she would have been the oldest known orca at the time of her death. A member of the endangered southern resident killer whale population, Granny lived in the northeast Pacific Ocean and coastal bays of Washington state and British Columbia. She was last seen on October 12, 2016, and was considered deceased by The Center for Whale Research in January 2017.
The Whale Museum is a natural history museum located in Friday Harbor, Washington. Founded in 1979, The Whale Museum is dedicated to the interpretation of whales in the wild. Its mission is to promote the stewardship of wild whales in the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research programs.
The One Health Institute works at the interface of animals, people, plants, and the environment to solve complex problems that impact health and conservation around the world. The institute is part of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and is home to the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center and many other programs and projects. The executive director of the One Health Institute is Dr. Michael Ziccardi.
Jonna Ann Keener Mazet is an American epidemiologist and Executive Director of the University of California, Davis One Health Institute. Recognized for her innovative and holistic approach to emerging environmental and global health threats, she is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Mazet is a professor of Epidemiology and Disease Ecology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where she focuses on global health problem solving, especially for emerging infectious disease and conservation challenges.
Tahlequah, also known as J35, is a killer whale of the Southern Resident community in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. She has given birth to three known offspring, a male (Notch) in 2010, a female (Tali) in 2018, and another male (Phoenix) in 2020. Her second calf, Tali, died shortly after birth and J35 carried her body for 17 days in an apparent show of grief that attracted international attention.
Orcas or killer whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and several distinct populations or types have been documented or suggested. Three to five types of orcas may be distinct enough to be considered different races, subspecies, or possibly even species. The IUCN reported in 2008, "The taxonomy of this genus is clearly in need of review, and it is likely that O. orca will be split into a number of different species or at least subspecies over the next few years." Although large variation in the ecological distinctiveness of different orca groups complicate simple differentiation into types. Mammal-eating orcas in different regions were long thought likely to be closely related, but genetic testing has refuted this hypothesis.
Eva Lucia Saulitis was an American marine biologist and poet, based in Alaska.
References
- ↑ Mapes, Lynda (April 23, 2018). "New children's book dives deep into the Salish Sea". The Seattle Times . Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ↑ "About the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center". UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Greene, H. Gary (2015). "Habitat characterization of a tidal energy site using an ROV: Overcoming difficulties in a harsh environment". Continental Shelf Research. 106: 85–96. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2015.06.011.
- ↑ "Tufted Puffins at the Sea View With Joe Gaydos and Bob Friel". The Journal of the San Juan Islands. March 1, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ↑ "CASE Awards - Pod of Orcas: Saving Southern Resident Killer Whales". Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). June 22, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Slater, Sonora (2021-06-02). "SeaDoc Society podcast highlights threats facing killer whales, pushes for positive change". The California Aggie. Davis, California. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
- ↑ Gaydos, Joe. "10 years ago, SeaDoc Society created a plan used today to keep orcas out of an oil spill". San Juan Islander. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
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