A Study On The Killer Whales

In the documentary “Blackfish”, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, she discussed the harmful events that have occurred when keeping killer whales contained for show and entertainment purposes. Cowperthwaite argued the fact that the killer whales become aggressive when held captive in an area too small for them and separated from their families. Throughout the documentary there were many horrifying stories about the attacks told by people who had saw the tragedies first-hand.

If you have ever been to Seaworld you would have had to go see the Killer whales in fact its one of the top attractions there. Through the eyes of a child, these gentle giants seem to be happy, healthy, and enjoying a playful game with their trainers. The question is are they really happy, do they get treated the right way, and why have there been deaths and injuries. Many people wonder about these things and after the movie Blackfish came out more and more people began to question how well Seaworld treats their animals. “The truth is that Sea World keeps its animals for entertainment and money and helps no one but themselves.”- Animal Legal Defense Fund

Since 1961, 157 orcas, or killer whales, have been ripped from their homes and shoved into captivity. 127 of these orcas are now dead. With the number of captured orcas plus the number of those born into captivity, The W.D.C. (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) reports that, “At least 162 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or stillborn calves” ( “The Fate”1). Out of the 127 taken into captivity, 44 have died in SeaWorld. There are currently 58 orcas residing in 14 marine parks in eight different countries. 24 of those orcas are held in SeaWorld’s three parks in the United States. Since 2002, 14 have been taken out of the wild and put into these marine parks. (“The Fate”1) It is not fair for these innocent creatures to be physically and mentally manipulated and damaged. Such brutality would not be condoned if it were targeted towards a human, and it should not be condoned when targeted toward an animal. Orca whales should not be held in captivity because they are forced to live in subpar conditions, they are mistreated while in captivity, and they are led to aggressive behavior.

Some people argue that keeping orcas in captivity is not a problem, yet they do not realize some of the limitations and dangers orcas suffer when kept in captivity. One reason is that these unpredictable, thirty-foot long creatures are usually kept in a tank that is too small for them, compared to the ocean where they can swim freely. In captivity, space is limited. According to one expert, “orcas can swim up to 100 miles per day- a phenomenal amount, in comparison to the exercise they receive in captivity” (Cronin). While in captivity, an orca has to keep swimming in circles or float, unable to exercise adequately in a confined space. The small tanks also prevent orcas from living in their natural group sizes, or pods. “In the wild, killer whales typically travel in pods of between five and 30” (Melissa). In captivity, fewer than five whales are kept together, an imbalance that makes the whales more aggressive towards one another. This can lead to dangerous, territorial situations in which captive

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.

It’s a average, nice summer day and you and your family decide to see killer whales at SeaWorld. Once you arrive to the place and see the large animals in the tank you’re fascinated by their large size. Killer whales, or orca whales, are large marine mammals that can be found in every ocean around the world. They can swim for hundred of miles and “routinely dive up to 300 ft” (“Should Orca Whales Be Kept in Captivity”). They also live in large family groups known as pods that they will rarely ever leave. Seeing these large animals in the tanks that they make seem small due to their large size and with other whales along with marks, mainly bite marks and flopped over dorsal fin for the males, make it questionable if they even should be here and if these other whales are family in the seemingly makeshift pod. Orcas should not be in captivity because of health problems, lack of space in the tanks, and most of them are taken from their homes in the wild where their true family is.

What he says is completely false, similar to the false answer that has been given at SeaWorld for decades. Employees at SeaWorld are told that the life expectancy of killer whales in the wild is about 35 years, but the life expectance of their killer whales is much more. This is a lie. Most killer whales in the wild have the same life span as a human,

Holding killer whales in captivity is a harmful problem to the mammal that requires action from both the government and the public.

Sea World, is well known for its dazzling aquatic shows that attract visitors of all ages. These shows involve trained animals performing tricks that electrifies crowds day in and day out. One of the more known shows involve killer whales. An average size for adult male whales is 21.7 feet (“Physical Characteristics”). Females are known for an average size of 18 feet (“Physical Characteristics”).

The female can survive up to the age 50 that’s why but the age 40 she has used up all her eggs for the purpose of breeding. And the Male is known to live up to the age 25 till they die. It has been documented that female whales are able to only produce on average about 4 to 6 offspring’s in their conceptual life. It is also be noted that Females come in to heat several times in one year and can be known to mate with several partners not being committed to only one. Male killer whales have been observed to court with the female killer whales about as 10 times per day and can even be matting with even pregnant females. The time it takes for babies to be forming in the female killer whale can take a very long time it can last up to 15 to even 18 months and the birth can take place any time in the year. There is no fixed time period and or seasons to which the killer whale mates in. the killer whale mates when it has reached maturity and mates often when it can. As to how normally the new offspring is born, first and for most its tail is the first to appear, there have been cases where the head would come out first. The babies are to be fed for a certain period of time that having to be on average 18 months and a strict diet of all nutrients from the mother’s milk to give the baby large amount of fat needed for its body to grow and adapt and change in the sea temperatures. But the mothers don’t just baby them for long they teach them in this time period how to hunt as well as defend, because as its already known killer whales are apex paradors of the seas and they have to hunt pray to live. The length of the new born’s are recorded on to be that of 2.6 meters and weigh coming at 160

I picked the killer Whale, also known as Orcas for this assignment. Orcas are cultural creatures. Scientist have observed three main groups of Orcas evenly distributed throughout the ocean. The three groups have vastly different diets, languages, hunting techniques and manners of behaving around other marine life. The groups do not seem to interact much with one another. Orcas pass down specific behavior thought to each other from generation to generation. Orcas often hunt in groups and orchestrate their strategies perfectly with each group member having specific tasks.

Ocean giants that have captured the imagination of humans for centuries, whales are among the largest mammals on earth. This diverse group of animals has over 75 separate species, and are considered by scientists to be some of the most intelligent animals on the planet. While modern whales spend their entire lives in water, they are air-breathing mammals whose ancestors roamed land millions of years ago. With so many interesting facts about whales, once question can be easily overlooked: Do whales have (teeth)?

To date the killer whale is considered in the group of most successful predator. Not only throughout the world, but definably in the oceanic world; Pods, the family of orca, range from 20 to 200 members (NOAA Fisheries). Seen inhabiting all oceans of the world, orca whales dwell from the cold water upwelling’s of the Artic to the warm waters of Hawaii. In 1964 the area, killer whale appeared in public display for the first time the criminal making a 180 degree turn from “wolf of the sea to cute cuddly sea panda.

Imagine that your four years old and suddenly the world has you know it changes your spriped away for your family and you witness you family killed.This is exactly what happened to some of the Killer Whales and dolphins keep in captivity and yes now to this day this is illge but some of the killer whale and dolphins at seaworld today like Talcum is a Killer whale at Seaworld Florida who witness and live through exactly that.He was not alone many other Killer Whale and dolphins have the same story to tell.This is unexpected for us to do as a civilized society and it outraged me that we let this happen in the first place. Clovis,Chappy,Wally,Wanda and 196 other Orcas and dolphins passed away in cavity without being able to go back to where

The population can be distinguished because killer whales travel in pods, or groups. The resident pods can vary from as few as five to as many as fifty whales. The transient pod size varies from one and seven individuals.