The Insane Biology of: The Orca

I once paddled alone by a pod of transient orcas. A big male split off from the pod and swam up to me. He seemed to be looking me over. It was uncanny and very scary. After what seemed like a very long "minute" he turned and splashed me, and his aim was perfect, the jet of water hit me directly in my face. I got the distinct impression that he wanted me to leave the area. (I was told later by a Haida watchman that they were hunting seals.) I had to laugh, after I got splashed, I was so relieved that he just saw fit to splash me rather than something much worse. I really could tell by his body movements that he was not being friendly. That was the only time I've ever been in the power of a creature that could have eaten me for lunch, and he decided to warn me rather than harm me. It was an experience I will never forget.

I will never get over the fact that baby whales babble just like human babies and end up learning the language of their pods

Think about it... the animal we call "killer", the apex predator of the sea that even goes after sharks and whales, the predator so intelligent it develops shockingly scary and precice hunting techniques is the one animal that might be closer to us in intelligence and emotional development than any other. Says a lot about us, doesn't it? No wonder they literally go insane in captivity. They're bored to death.

Something I've never seen anyone mention before, so I thought I'd throw it in. Since we've gotten more "In Tune" with these Orca for a very long time, and anytime one beaches themselves on accident, if there's a Human around, we usually always try to save it, and get it back in the water, where the rest of the family is waiting. The pod can see this a lot of the time. Not only that, but the stranded Orca can obviously tell, as more and more people come to rescue the Orca, that we are a family as well, and work together. In those cases, to help save their lives, and get them back home. Since they are so intelligent, I don't think it's far fetched to think that Orca, both the stranded, and the families of the stranded, communicate that the "Things" that move on 2 feet on land, just helped save a life, to not only each other, but other Orca as well. It's not crazy to think, that pods have communicated this with other pods, where one of them were also saved by humans. They also share "Spindle Cells" with us. There are only a few other animals on the planet that do. Elephants, Gorillas, and Whales I know for sure do. I think they are just as curious about us, as we are of them.

The fact that baby orcas have to learn their language shows how intelligent these beings are

the fact that whales/dolphins can legally just be kept at places like Seaworld is just insane given just the information in this video.

“What do you guys want for dinner?” “Chinook salmon, chinook salmon!!!” “We’ve had that consecutively for the past fifty years!” “And?” “Yeah, you’re right”

I think the reason a lot of people don't realize how insanely powerful and savage this incredible animal is the fact that it doesn't attack humans in the wild (along with the fact that it looks and sounds very cute). It makes for a sort of a surprising juxtaposition. Savage, powerful predators like wolves and bears almost invariably instill fear into our hearts in a way orcas don't despite the latter's unbelievable success and dominance over their environments.

The fact that they actually practice that beaching thing is so crazy to me. I thought they just tested it themselves and if they died, they died.

What a dream it would be to be able to actually communicate to orcas at some point. Communicating with other intelligent species is so huge

J35 Tahlequah, a Southern Resident orca from the Pacific Northwest, gained global attention when she was seen carrying her deceased calf for a remarkable 17 days. The female calf passed away shortly after birth and was named Tali posthumously. Tahlequah's unwavering determination to hold onto her calf was only relinquished when, sadly, the calf began to disintegrate. This heartbreaking display of grief resonated with countless individuals worldwide. Southern Resident orcas remain with their mothers for their entire lifespan. Nowadays, Tahlequah is a devoted mother to her two sons - J47 Notch and J57 Phoenix. Following the losses of her mother, J17 Princess Angeline, and sister, J28 Polaris, Tahlequah assumed the role of "guardian" for her brother, J44 Moby, sister J53 Kiki, and niece J46 Star.

Knowing all this, it makes it even more heartbreaking to think of the orcas that were captured from the wild to be put in aquariums. They can’t communicate with each other and it ends up in enslavement of an intelligent species strictly for entertainment purposes.

I love how many animals that are completely unrelated to each other, multiple times throughout life decided that if they scream loud enough, they can kind of see but not really

One of the coolest things to me about orcas that the video doesn’t mention is that there has never been a recorded human death from a wild orca. But orcas have been recorded and seen leading humans towards pods of whales to hunt. They might see humans as a potential symbiotic relationship since they’re known to eat human leftovers from whaling or snag stray fish when fishermen use nets. Just super cool that they easily could attack and kill humans but seemingly have no interest in doing so

Fun Fact: Flocks of wild parrots have also been found to speak different languages. Flocks that live near each other speak different dialects of the same language, and flocks from different areas speak completely different languages, despite being the same species. Animals have always been talking to each other. We just need to learn to listen.

The Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest have a deep connection to the local killer whales. The Lummi Nation refer to the resident killer whales as qwe 'lhol mechen, which translates to 'our relatives who live under the sea.' Of Orcas and Men by David Neiwert - The orcas were well known to the Native Americans who occupied the Northwest Coast. They shared these waters and the fish that swam in them. Harming orcas was universally taboo for these people. While many of these tribes avidky hunted humpback and fin whales, it was considered bad medicine to injure or kill a "blackfish," who at the least was a harbinger of plentiful fish and often much more. It was widely believed that if one killed an orca, its family would wreak vengeance on you and your kinsmen the next time you took to the water. Orcas were not mere beasts, but the people who lived under the sea. Most of these tribesmen believed in a realm parallel to ours occupied by spirits, many of whom were people who lived in spirit villages rather resembling the natives' own large cedar dwellings. Foremost among these spirits were the killer whale people, whose powers were immense and far-reaching. This was why so many tribes claimed the killer whales as their spiritual totem and carved the creature's likeness into their totem poles and family crests. According to the myths of the Kwakwaka'wakw tribes of northern Vancouver Island, the first men were killer whales who came to shore, transformed into land creatures, and then forgot to go back. Some of their tribal elders claimed direct descent from killer whale tribes. Their word for killer whale, Max'inuxw, means 'the ones who hunt.' In this mythology, the killer whale is the lord of the underwater realm. His house can be reached by four days' journey out to the open sea, and his village is at the head of a long narrow inlet. "Our people have a great respect for the whales, because our belief is that they are our ancestors. They come and visit us, usually, at the beginning of a potlatch, if the family is descended from the whales, the Max'inuxw, the killer whale. Also, it's a dance in the potlatch. Living on the island, they don't show up every day, but when they do show up, we're like tourists, too. We're excited to see the ancestors. And when you see the dorsal fins, when the big dorsal fin comes out, and we know how old they are? It is just exciting to see, because it's so massive. And there's usually a pod - there's usually not just one whale. So you see a whole family of whales, and it just makes you all excited."

13:13 This is probably why Keiko wasn't able to reconnect properly with any wild orcas. He was captured as a two year old calf, thus, he had the vocabulary equivilent to a two year old human baby. They couldn't understand him and thus wanted nothing to do with him.

I've thought about the brain wrinkling. These animals HAVE to think in three dimensions all the time. Most mammals exist on a plane, of 2.5 dimensions at best. We place ourselves on the ground, and really only have to be aware of what's around us on the same plane, or ground. Whales and dolphins, have to be aware of what's around them and above and below them at all times. They are placing themselves in a constant three dimensional world. The spacial awareness is probably off the charts

Every time I learn something new about Orcas, it blows my mind. Such incredible, beautiful creatures. It's so hard to justify keeping them in captivity. Their level of knowledge really feels unprecedented. I have a hard time justifying keeping any animals in captivity. Specifically for things like zoos. Pets are different, since they're more family than entertainment. Either way, orcas are very much my favorite animal. Incredible, incredible creatures.

Even the markings of an orca are so clever. The black to blend in with the waves and the white to look like giant eyes. It’s insane.