Originally posted by Neville
have you eve notices that when Killer Whales are captive the fin on their back tends to curl over. This is because they spend less time under the water and so gravity takes its toll. I think it actually effects their balance/awareness too!
Yes, I think it also would have something to do with a lack of exercise for the fin. All cetaceans are born with flimsy fins, they get strengthened by swimming against currents and also by a generally large amount of movement. Captive orca's are in a stagnant pool and their movement is relatively limited, this would stunt the muscle growth and keep their fin weak(most captive orcas were born in captivity or taken very young).
I imagine it would be a very frustrating way to live for a killer whale on account of there sonar pulse being bounced directly back at them from concrete walls. Wild killer whales have never been recorded to have attacked a human but it does occur occasionally in captivity. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often considering the circumstances.
I agree with you sciauthor in that I wouldn't swim with a wild orca regardless of their perfect record. One thing that all scientists agree on is that the killer whale is very unpredictable.
You mentioned their diet and the strange thing is their diet varies greatly from pod to pod. Alot like our diet would be different than that of a south american indians.
There is a pod off the coast of south western canada that feeds exclusively on salmon, strangely their language is far more advanced than any other known pod, with about 3 times more distinct sounds. They stay in basically the same place year round and they are referred to as "resident" killer whales(there are 3 known types resident(stay in one place and usually consist of many members), transient(they move around alot and are usually in small groups or around 3 to 10) and offshore(they don't move around as much as transients but they are further out to sea than residents and they move around a bit more, they are usually in fairly large groups of about 20+).
Various small transient pods frequently visit the patagonian coast of argentina(I think), these pods are less playfull and vocal than the canadian pod and they are very opportunistic feeders. They eat anything from seals(you might have seen them taking baby seals off the beach on tv) to whales to fish to whatever. The latest report saw them playing "frisbee" with stingrays.
The thing is people know very little about orcas and other dolphins(despite the simpson's claims of dolphin's being "the most video-taped of earth's creatures"
), I think they're fascinating and I want to know more.
