Melon-Headed Whales: A Case Study

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.

There is no doubt that humans have always been intrigued with the majestic beauty of the large giants found in all of the world’s oceans. Whales and people have had a long history together, marked by many turns of events.

Recent evidence suggests that whales may not have always inhabited the oceans. Bones of an ancient ancestor of modern day whales, the Basilosaurus, were discovered in Pakistan that suggest whales evolved from a wolf-like creature. This genus of an early whale lived 34-40 million years ago in the late Eocene. These fossils show many different features in common with both modern day whales and modern day land mammals. Since the discovery of these bones, many other evidences show that whales are a likely descendant of the Basilosaurus through many different ways, such as embryologic comparison and DNA testing. Whales aren’t the only suspected descendants

Everyone loves going to marine parks such as SeaWorld and Marineland. They offer many spectacular shows with dolphins, sea lions and birds. However, the main attractions they offer are orcas, or as they are better known as killer whales. Highly intelligent and with acute senses of sight and hearing, they are apex predators. Recently, the possession of orcas has been a big topic of controversy. Many people believe that the animals are being mistreated in captivity. Their captivity limits their freedom and enjoyment. Many orcas suffer from poor physical and mental effects in captivity. Killer whales will usually travel between 50 and 100 miles per day in the wild, but in captivity all they can do is swim in circles or float for no reason. In the wild, killer whales live in pods of

Trego works at the Conservation Ecology Lab at San Diego State University in California. She reported her team’s early findings on December 14, at the Society for Marine Mammalogy meeting in San Francisco.

Killer whales are confined to tanks that are far too small for them. This can trigger unwanted and dangerous behaviors out of the whales (Humane Society). Would you want to live your life in a bathtub or a small pool? In 1987, trainer Jonathan Smith was performing with one of the orcas in a full audience. One of the orcas took a hold of his foot and dragged him to the very bottom of the tank. The whale brought him back to the surface and let go, but another orca then slammed into him and dragged him back under water. Smith eventually escaped with a lacerated liver, ruptured kidney, and cuts all around his torso. He thinks what may have triggered these behaviors is that fact that he was wearing a uniform that looked similar to a seal.

Whales in captivity suffer through a great amount of emotional abuse . In captivity, Children can be separated from their mothers, and whales that are taken from the wild are separated from their families ,which can consist of up to 40 members (National Geographic). Whales are very family oriented and each pod of whales has their own dialect when communicating. Whales are social creatures and by depriving them of social activity and their families, they become depressed and

There are many reasons why the killer whales are declining in health while being in captivity at SeaWorld. For example, a sign of an unhealthy whale are the dorsal fins collapsing over on the side. All male whales in captivity have flipped dorsal fins unlike in the wild where there are very limited whales with this condition. Also the whales are living smaller lives in captivity then they do in the wild. SeaWorld whales are living up to the age 25, when the average whale in the wild lives up to 40. The health in the whales isn’t the only problem at SeaWorld.

“Swimming free a young dolphin, was caught in a crab trap and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital” found at see winter.com. This dolphin was named Winter in 2005, the year she was found.Real damage was made to Winter's tale, which made it hard for her to swim. “It took the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics

“Howard Garett is a 66-year-old orca researcher and activist based on Whidbey Island in Washington state, USA. Howard has been working with Southern resident orcas of the Pacific Northwest for over 30 years, beginning as a field assistant with the Center for Whale Research. Howard launched the Lolita campaign in 1995, and the Orca Network as it is known today in 2001, which promotes conservation through education and awareness.” (Lipman, Orcaaware.org) Dr. Lori Marino is internationally known for her work on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers, book chapters, and magazine articles on marine mammal biology.

On Saturday May 20th a confused Humpback whale gets stuck in the Ventura Harbor in California. The Coast Guard attempted to guide the Whale in various ways. The First way was to lure it with food but it did not take the bait. The next way was to emit sounds in the ocean to also lure it out but again it did not. Officials said they were worried about all the boats in the harbor being damaged because of the whale.

Last Wednesday, July 8, beachgoers stumbled upon the carcass of a 2,000 pound beached whale on Long Island Beach. Since its discovery, experts from the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research & Preservation who specialize in marine life have begun looking into the possible causes of death. The cause of the 12-foot minke whale’s death is being investigated because many wounds were present on its body, but it was unclear whether the bite-like wounds were inflicted before or after the creature’s death.

According to Dale Wolbrink, the director of public relations for the aquarium, reports of these sightings are rare. The video taken was viewed by scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and they confirmed they were beluga whales.

Randall Wells and his team observed groups of male dolphin behavior in Sarasota Bay, Florida.

Another very interesting thing that I have found out in this essay by Regina Blackstock is a case that occurred in 1962 when some Lockheed Aircraft Corporation scientists erected a barrier across a channel with strong microphones. When the dolphins approached it, clicking noises were heard. The dolphins gathered into a group in nearby shallow