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The killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Killer whales have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialise in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and dolphins. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, as there is no animal which preys on them.
Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which are often specific to a particular group and passed across generations, have been described as manifestations of animal culture.
The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) currently assesses the orca's conservation status as data deficient because of the likelihood that two or more killer whale types are separate species. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution (by PCBs), capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with human fisheries. In late 2005, the Southern Resident Killer Whales, the population that inhabits British Columbia and Washington state waters, were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species list.
Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans, but there have been cases of captive orcas killing or injuring their handlers at marine theme parks. Killer whales feature strongly in the mythologies of indigenous cultures, with their reputation ranging from being the souls of humans to merciless killers.
A typical killer whale distinctively bears a black back, white chest and sides, and a white patch above and behind the eye. Calves are born with a yellowish or orange tint, which fades to white. It has a heavy and robust body with a large dorsal fin up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall. Behind the fin, it has a dark grey "saddle patch" across the back. Antarctic killer whales may have pale grey to nearly white backs. Adult killer whales are very distinctive and are not usually confused with any other sea creature. When seen from a distance, juveniles can be confused with other cetacean species, such as the false killer whale or Risso's dolphin. The killer whale's teeth are very strong and its jaws exert a powerful grip; the upper teeth fall into the gaps between the lower teeth when the mouth is closed. The front teeth are inclined slightly forward and outward, thus allowing the killer whale to withstand powerful jerking movements from its prey while the middle and back teeth hold it firmly in place.
Killer whales are the largest extant members of the dolphin family. Males typically range from 6 to 8 metres (20 to 26 ft) long and weigh in excess of 6 tonnes (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons). Females are smaller, generally ranging from 5 to 7 m (16 to 23 ft) and weighing about 3 to 4 tonnes (3.0 to 3.9 long tons; 3.3 to 4.4 short tons). The largest male killer whale on record was 9.8 m (32 ft), weighing 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons), while the largest female was 8.5 m (28 ft), weighing 7.5 tonnes (7.4 long tons; 8.3 short tons). Calves at birth weigh about 180 kg (400 lb) and are about 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long. The killer whale's large size and strength make it among the fastest marine mammals, able to reach speeds in excess of 56 km/h (30 kn). The skeleton of the killer whale is of the typical delphinid structure, but is more robust. Its integument, unlike that of most other dolphin species, is characterised by a well-developed dermal layer with a dense network of fascicles of collagen fibers.
Killer whale pectoral fins, analogous to forelimbs, are large and rounded, resembling paddles. Males have significantly larger pectoral fins than females. At about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) the male's dorsal fin is more than twice the size of the female's and is more of a triangular shape—a tall, elongated isosceles triangle—whereas hers is shorter and more curved. Males and females also have different patterns of black and white skin in their genital areas. Sexual dimorphism is also apparent in the skull; adult males have longer lower jaws than females, and have larger occipital crests.
An individual killer whale can often be identified from its dorsal fin and saddle patch. Variations such as nicks, scratches, and tears on the dorsal fin and the pattern of white or grey in the saddle patch are unique. Published directories contain identifying photographs and names for hundreds of North Pacific animals. Photographic identification has enabled the local population of killer whales to be counted each year rather than estimated, and has enabled great insight into lifecycles and social structures.
Occasionally a killer whale is white; they have been spotted in the northern Bering Sea and around St. Lawrence Island, and near the Russian coast. In February 2008, a white killer whale was photographed 3.2 km (2.0 mi) off Kanaga Volcano in the Aleutian Islands. In 2010, the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP), co-founded and co-directed by Alexander M. Burdin and Erich Hoyt, filmed an adult male nicknamed Iceberg .
Killer whales have good eyesight above and below the water, excellent hearing, and a good sense of touch. They have exceptionally sophisticated echolocation abilities, detecting the location and characteristics of prey and other objects in their environments by emitting clicks and listening for echoes,[78] as do other members of the dolphin family.
The mean body temperature of the orca is 36 to 38 °C (97 to 100 °F). Like most marine mammals, orcas have a layer of insulating blubber ranging from 7.6 to 10 cm (3.0 to 3.9 in) thick beneath its skin.
The heart beats at a rate of about 60 beats/min when the orca is at the surface, dropping to 30 beats/min when submerged.
Amasing behaviour of this spider. It hoists a leaf from the ground and curls it using its silk thread to make a protective home.
I've always meant to seek out and shoot this Erratic boulder on top of Twisleton Scar, but time and conditions have tended to be against me. I set to put that right this weekend with a shoot late yesterday and again this morning. Thankfully for a brief while the conditions were with me on both occasions.
Van de Kam, J., Ens, B., Piersma, T., and Zwarts, L. (2004) Shorebirds: An illustrated behavioural ecology. KNNV publishers.
From dusk until late, Bourke Street’s Royal Mail House will be re-animated by the dazzling, kinetic light installation – maxims of behaviour – by artist, Alexander Knox.
Held each year, CAVES teaches astronauts to explore the underground system of the Sa Grutta caves in Sardinia, Italy, as a team, delving deep underground to perform scientific experiments as well as chart and document their activities.
The CAVES course – Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills – is run by the European Astronaut Centre to simulate spaceflight. Seasoned International Space Station astronauts as well as rookies participate in the course and share experiences while learning how to improve leadership, teamwork, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
The cavenauts participating in this year's campaign are ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, NASA astronaut Scott Tingle, Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Mirsurkin and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and ESA engineer & Eurocom Matthias Maurer.
More about the 2014 cavenauts:
www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Caves/2014_c...
Follow CAVES 2014 via the blog:
And the CAVES website:
Credit: ESA\S.Sechi
Mountain hare (lepus timidus) - November is the month the hares transition back into their white winter coats. Quite a variety of colours on the hill on 6 Noc
Odd behaviour of Ring-billed Gull.... my friend Penny told me one day that she had seen Gulls feeding on berry trees. I thought it was strange. So next time I was in that area for other wildlife, I remembered about this and watched them for a while. They sure have a hard time standing on a branch and they do like berries too.
Governments around the world are drawing on behavioural insights to improve public policy outcomes: from automatic enrolment for pensions, to better tax compliance, to increasing the supply of organ donation.
But those very same policy makers are also subject to biases that can distort decision making. The Behavioural Insights Team has been studying those biases and what can be done to counter them, in collaboration with Jill Rutter and Julian McCrae of the Institute for Government.
The report was launched with remarks from Alex Chisholm, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.
Dr Michael Hallsworth, Director of the Behavioural Insights Team in North America presented the key findings.
The findings, their relevance to policy making today, and what they mean for the way governments make decisions were discussed by:
Polly Mackenzie, Director of Policy for the Deputy Prime Minister, 2010–15 and now Director of Demos
Dr Tony Curzon Price, Economic Advisor to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Programme Director at the Institute for Government.
#IfGBIT
Photos by Candice McKenzie
Just managed to find a gap in the reeds but no fish this time for this Common Tern.
St Aidan's Nature Park.
He's definitely right about that! This guy was twisting his head around so fast and so far that if you look at his neck (best in full screen mode), you'll see that he is literally choking himself-I don't know how he didn't just cut off all his air and fall over in a faint! I was totally fascinated by this behaviour--I thought his head might end up like a rubber band that is wound too tightly and then spins out of control. He put on quite the show for me. :-)