In this episode of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, filmmaker David Reichert explores the relationship that exists between the orcas, elephant seals and king penguins of the Crozet Islands — a remote archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean. In the process, David develops his own relationship with the three species and witnesses some of the most amazing feeding behavior ever caught on film.
Ask Peter Gros — special advisor to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and a co-host of the original series — your questions about orcas, elephant seals and king penguins now. He'll answer them shortly after "A Man Among Orcas," which premieres Sunday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. EST. Get a reminder.
Hello, my name is Dominique. I will be going to college to persue a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Science. I'm hoping to work with the FWS as a Biologist, but it will never really complete my dream, because my favorite animals are Orcas. Living on the East coast, it is harder for me to come into contact with them. I'm planning on visiting the Johnson Straight (incorrect spelling) in Brittish Colombia next summer to see them. But what I've always dreamed of was being able to study them in the wild, like this man in the upcomming show. How on Earth can I possibly do the same thing? I'm willing to devote my time and money, but I don't know HOW. WHO did this man contact to do this, HOW did he manage to do it, WHAT does he do to be able to do this? I'm not a jealous person, but I wish to do what he does. Please let me know, thanks
Hi, my name is Angie.I love animals and especially orcas they have always fascinated me so much.I have been to Canada/Whistler but never seen orcas in the wild.I don't don't approve of em being in captivity,and i want to be a photographer taking pictures of animals mainly orcas?Is there a certain degree to take pictures of animals?Ive heard some reasons but why do orcas dorsal fins flop over when in captivity?
Hello Mr Gros, What are some of the reasons Killer Whales attack and eat the Humpback Whale tongues? I believe there is more too it than just behavior than just simple food competition.
Dear Peter, My son and I wanted to kayak amoung Orca's in Puget Sound. We were cautioned by a employee (I don't know the credentials)of the Seattle Aquarium to beware of an Orca that had a tendency to "play with boats". This included knocking the propeller off of a boat. The other Orca's seem to aviod this one. Is there truth that there are "rogue" whales like this? Since my son was only ten we didn't go because, well, even though I researched the entire thing ahead of time this was the first I had heard of this. Please bust or confirm this story if possible. We both want to go but I won't until I know he'll be safe in that manner. Thank you so much. Di
Hi! My name is Katherine Jones. Ever since I can remember, killer whales have been my favorite animals on the planet. It has always been my dream to work with orcas in captivity. I enttend to follow this dream by going to college and getting a degree in marine biology and psychology. But I do have a few questions about these beautiful animals in the wild: Why do orcas have such a complex society-- their dialects, social bonds and ability to hunt working together and cooperating? What excactly is the difference between TRANSIENT and RESIDENT orcas? And like the orca and other toothed whales, do baleen whales like the blue and humpback whales use echolocation? Thanks for everything! Katie Jones :-)
Re: "I've always dreamed of was being able to study them in the wild, like this man in the upcomming show. How on Earth can I possibly do the same thing? Dominique"
Dominique, I would think a good place to start would be the University of British Columbia. They have been doing research on orcas for years. A good book that covers some of their research is called "Orca: The Whale Called Killer" by Eric Hoyt. I would also contact a regional aquarium, since they will sometimes sponsor killer whale research.
When you're in British Columbia, there are numerous companies that lead tours to do killer whale viewing. This type of viewing is monitored carefully to prevent changing behavioral patterns of killer whales in the wild, yet they will occasionally surface very close to you.
The Fish and Wildlife Service may have a list of internship programs, which could be helpful.
Re: "Is there a certain degree to take pictures of animals?Ive heard some reasons but why do orcas dorsal fins flop over when in captivity? Angie"
Angie, there are sea kayaking tour companies that take photographers near Vancouver, where killer whales congregate, for up close and personal encounters with orcas for photographers. Northern Lights Expeditions is a well-run kayaking tour company who always keeps the whales' best interest in mind, as well as your safety. Their Web site is www.seakayaking.com.
One theory about why the dorsal fin in captive killer whales droops to the side is they're much less active. The muscle degenerates and the fin tends to drop to one side. Another hypothesis is: they tend to spend a lot of time swimming in a circle and the fin tends to respond to that circular motion in one direction.
Re: "What are some of the reasons Killer Whales attack and eat the Humpback Whale tongues? lionessisfree"
Without a doubt, the killer whale is the most supreme predator in the ocean. The highly developed social structure of this species lends itself to pack hunting. This together with their size and speed makes them a threat to even the largest baleen whales. The legendary voracity of this species actually gave it its common name.
I don't know specifically why the killer whale would only eat the tongue. It surprises me that they would be that particular, since 22 species have been recorded to have been preyed on by killer whales by examining stomach contents, including fin whales, minke whales, gray whales and even young blue whales. There's also been one recorded case of probable cannibalism. I think that's quite rare and was probably forced through lack of food.
If you find out, I certainly would be interested in knowing.
Re: "We were cautioned by a employee (I don't know the credentials)of the Seattle Aquarium to beware of an Orca that had a tendency to 'play with boats.' Is there truth that there are "rogue" whales like this? Di"
I think killer whales can be compared to wolves. They seem to have about the same amount of exaggerated stories of encounters with man. I remember growing up hearing about the "Big Bad Wolf" and all the stories that accompanied their aggression towards man, only to find out as an adult there has never been a human fatality in North America from a wolf.
There are many similar stories about killer whales passed down through generations from early whalers. The fear and hatred directed toward killer whales seems to stem from man's age-old prejudice against large predators with large teeth. Among the sea creatures, the orca and the great white shark have been considered the chief villains. Like the wolf, there are no recorded fatalities to a human being from a killer whale. There was one recorded case of a killer whale swimming quickly toward a swimmer and bumping him.
I would contact Northern Lights Expeditions, who have taken thousands of people whale watching without incident, and get some good local first-hand information.
Re: "Why do orcas have such a complex society-- their dialects, social bonds and ability to hunt working together and cooperating? What excactly is the difference between TRANSIENT and RESIDENT orcas? And like the orca and other toothed whales, do baleen whales like the blue and humpback whales use echolocation? Katie Jones"
The fish-eating killer whales in the North Pacific have a complex system of social grouping. The basic unit is the matriline, which consists of the single female, the matriarch, and her descendents. The sons and daughters of the matriarch form a part of the line that goes through the sons and daughters of those daughters. They join the matriline of their mates, and so on down the family tree. Because females can live up to 90 years, it's not uncommon for 4 or even 5 generations to travel together. These matrilineal groups are highly stable over many years. Individuals will only split off from their matrilineal group for up to a few hours at a time in order to mate or forage. No permanent casting out of an individual from a matriline has ever been recorded. Average size is 9 animals.
The matrliines form groups called pods with an average of 18 animals. Members of the pods all have the same dialect and consist of closely related matriline fragments. Pods will split apart for days or weeks at a time in order to forage before joining back together. The largest recorded pod is 49 animals.
The next level of grouping is called the clan. The clan consists of those pods that have a similar dialect. Different clans can occupy the same geographical area. Pods from different clans are often recorded traveling together. When resident pods come together to travel as a clan, they greet each other by forming two parallel lines, akin to a face-off, before mingling with each other.
The final layer of association is called the community, and is loosely defined as a set of clans that regularly mix with each other.
The fish-eating resident groups of killer whales in the northern Pacific can be much more vocal than transient groups living in the same waters. Scientists surmise the main reason for this lies in the different hearing abilities of their prey. Resident killer whales feed on fish, Pacific salmon, who have very poor underwater hearing and can't detect the killer whales' calls for any significant difference. On the other hand, transient killer whales, which feed exclusively on marine mammals --- seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins and occasionally sea birds -- are silent for much of the time to avoid detection, as marine mammals have excellent underwater hearing. So the transient whales may use just a single click for echolocation, rather than a long train of clicks observed in the resident populations.
Sperm whales, like killer whales, produce precisely spaced echolocation clicks called "usual" clicks that are ititerated at about two clicks per second. Also in their repertoire are streams of clicks known as "creaks," because together they make a creaking sound. They are used in social situations called codas, or in foraging perhaps to home in on potential prey. "Ringing" slow clicks produced around every six seconds are characteristics of large males. It is thought slow clicks advertise a breeding male's presence. Sperm whales are a notable exception to other social toothed whales in that their sounds consist almost entirely of clicks rather than whistles as made by dolphins.
It appears that baleen whales, like the blue and the humpback, do not use echolocation, though scientists are still looking into this.
Thanks! I also read ( in my spare time, I love to read about cetaceans) that when a toothed whale, in this case, a killer whale, echolocates, the sound waves are projected through the melon, and are recieved through the lower jaw. Is this true? Katie
I also read ( in my spare time, I love to read about cetaceans) that when a toothed whale, in this case, a killer whale, echolocates, the sound waves are projected through the melon, and are recieved through the lower jaw. Is this true?
