Sperm Whales

The evolutionary path of a whale is a fascinating process of a terrestrial mammal that evolves into a marine mammal. This evolutionary path started with one of the earliest ancestors called “Pakicetus”. A Pakicetus was discovered to be a land animal with four legs that had teeth as carnivores. It skull structure was long, but this organism didn’t look like any marine animal. The scientist then discovered that on the skull’s ear region it was surrounded by a bony wall. This feature on an organism only was distinct from one type of species, scientist discovered that this animal “Pakicetus” was an ancestor of a whale. By comparing the early whales Pakicetus to the next generation of ancestors Ambulocetus, the Ambulocetus whale looks more like

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.

The dorsal fin is triangular, and has been know to grow in excess of 6 feet in length on males, but grow no more than 3 feet on females. (Martin) The pectoral fins of the orca can measure up to one sixth of it’s body length and is in the shape of a paddle. The orca usually have 40-50 conical teeth which measure over 2 inches in length, and has a perfect fit with the opposite set which makes it an excellent hunter. Although the teeth are robust, they do a lot of work through the years because older orcas have been known to have teeth worn down to the gum tissue (Haley.) The tongue of a killer whale has been known to weigh in excess of 2 tons (Martin.) They have been known to be fearless hunter, and a fast predator. Some say the ferocity of the killer whale exceeds that of the great white shark, which makes it one of the most feared in ocean life.

Orcas are complex social creatures deserving freedom and respect, not captivity in theme parks under the guise of public education and entertainment. Aquarium staffs say captive whales are priceless educational tools. However, people can educate their children by bringing them to the wild instead of bringing the wild to them at the expense of the Orcas health and well-being. "The price of a family admission ticket is what continues to drive this cruel spectacle," according to Michael O' Sullivan, the Executive Director of The Humane Society of Canada (Whales in Captivity, 2010, Para. 3). Orcas suffer in many ways in

Whales are large aquatic mammals. Like every other animal they did not start off like that. Whales came to be after millions of years of evolution. Every aspect of the current whale was decided by nature. The blowhole, dorsal fins, lack of teeth and tail fluke all came from years of other creatures such as the Mesonychids and many other animals.

Killer whales are apex predators, lacking natural predators of their own, and inhabit all of the worlds oceans and most of our seas. They vary broadly in behavior, diet, and communication patterns. There are three main sympatric ecotypes of killer whales present in the Pacific Northwest, known as “resident”, “transient” and “offshore” killer whales. Of these, the resident whales of the Salish sea have been by far the most heavily studied. Their prey is salmon, chinook salmon in particular, and they hunt cooperatively. The resident pods are divided into “northern residents” and “southern residents”, the latter being comprized of three pods (J, K, and L). These three pods are well researched, as their markings and distinct calls make identification extraordinarily accessible to human scientists. Orca are distinct among mammals for the long post-reprodutive life of female orca, who provides extensive parental care even after menopause. Numerous studies have shown a clear correlation between the mother’s survival and the offsprings fitness. This paper will explore the matrilinal social structures of Puget Sound’s orcas to assess the evolutionary advantages to close mother-son relations. In particular, it will examine the difference in behavior of female and male offspring upon reaching sexual maturity, and relate this to similarities or differences in parental care output from male and

In the documentary, Blackfish, the director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite demonstrates through three times of appeals, ethos (emotional), logos (logical), and pathos (emotional) about the unethical practices and treatment of killer whales while in captivity at SeaWorld. She informs the viewing audience through interviews with experienced SeaWorld trainers, marine experts, seasoned whale hunters, and eye witnesses of the unethical treatment and environment of these majestic, highly intelligent mammals. These facts are presented in well placed order allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about what goes on behind the scenes at SeaWorld from the capture of Orcas in the wild, to the covering up of evidence of accidents and deaths and placing blame on the experienced trainer themselves, or by inhumane treatment of the animals themselves. Through advertising footage, graphs, and interviews she emphasizes that SeaWorld is focused on the well-being of the staff or animals but merely the reputation of the park along with ticket and merchandising sales.

In the article, “Sperm Whales and Killer Whales with the Largest Brain of All Toothed Whales Show Extreme Differences in Cerebellum” the author Sam H. Ridgway studies the cerebellums of the most widest distributed whales in the world. The killer whale and the sperm whale both have huge brains, but this study suggests why the killer whales have a significantly larger cerebellum than that of the sperm whale. After collecting, measuring, and preserving the species, the skull was ready to be chipped away and the brain ready to be taken from the massive cranium. Once extracted, the brain was measured to determine the cerebellar volume: (length of cerebellum base × width of the base × height × 1/3).

Western Pacific whales are rather rare, with the California gray whale recently removed from the endangered list and the western Pacific whale having as few as 150 individual whales remaining rendering it critically endangered. A new study has emerged questioning whether western Pacific whales are really a separate population or simply California gray whales that have expanded their feeding grounds.

Whales in captivity are held in swimming pools that are barely bigger than they are. According to Melissa Sawyer, “In the wild, they can easily travel 50 to 100 miles a day. However, in captivity, a typical tank is only twice their size, forcing the animals to swim in small circles or float aimlessly.” (Sawyer 1). Imagine living your whole life inside a bathtub, that is how whales that are in captivity feel. Due to their small living

Killer whales were first captured and separated from their family group (pods) to be put display for the public 1964. After years of research in their natural habitat and at marine parks throughout the world, it has become obvious that they belong in the ocean and not kept in captivity (Rose). The stress that killer whales feel at being kept in tanks for the general public’s amusement changes their natural behavior and makes them a danger to anyone who has direct contact with them. I feel that after so many years of having marine biologists and veterinarians studying these animals in captivity that little can be left to learn about the killer whales to justify breeding killer whales and keeping them in marine parks.

As mammals, they also give birth to a live animal, called a whale calf. Unlike humans, who can take around one year to learn how to walk, whale calves are born already able to swim.

Today, I will talk about the problem of keeping whales in captivity and how to overcome it.

Killer whales were not considered a threat to humans until one day in February 1991. Keltie Byrne, a marine biology and former killer whale trainer was killed by Tilikum. According to the reports, she slipped from the tank, where Tilikum was located, prevented her from surfacing and killed her. Sadly, another tragedy of a trainer who was killed by someone she knows

Some evolutionists claim whale ancestors were originally land mammals. Though many people refute this claim, there is much evidence. First is the Indohysus. The Indohysus was discovered to share a thickened bone that helps with hearing underwater with modern whales. The Indohysus also had denser bones, which meant it was partially aquatic. Next is the Pakicetus; the Pakicetus also had very dense bones, indicating it was semi-aquatic. The Pakicetus was similar in structure to a wolf, but the skull had eye sockets that were adapted for looking upwards, most likely at objects or animals floating above it. The Ambulocetus was found to have reduced limbs and an elongated skull and reduced limbs; it most likely spent most of its time in the water.