The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is one of my hands-down favorite animals and yes, I know I’ve said that before about other species, but there’s only three animals tattooed on my arm and one of them is the sperm whale. The other is the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) and as you can expect, they’re locked in combat, a small shark lurks in the background.
The oceans are full of wonderous, graceful but also dangerous animals, though many of these reactions depend on what species you are. This review will look at one that, to us, is graceful, beautiful and intelligence, but to many fish and whales is a dangerous predator, the killer whale (Orcinus orca), or the orca.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Contrary to their common name, killer whales (Orcinus orca), also known as orcas, are a species of oceanic dolphin, although they can be considered whales as all dolphins are considered whales but not all whales are dolphins. They are the largest of all dolphins, reaching lengths of 500 cm to 960 cm with males getting to greater lengths than females and also sporting larger pectoral and dorsal fins, with some getting higher than 180 cm (that’s taller than I am!).
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
Our latest cetacean review will shift its attention to a long-overlooked species, the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). The cetacean clade ‘’Physeteroidea’’, is one of the oldest lineages within the odontocete order. Its only extant members are the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the species within the Kogia genus.
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
This blog managed to cover a wide variety of cetaceans before getting to today’s species, the killer whale (Orcinus orca). The public perception of killer whales has a rather dramatic history compared to most cetaceans. While revered by Indigenous cultures in North America, Europeans viewed killer whales as a malevolent nuisance and threat.
Among the animals of the world known for intelligence, one of the top three is the dolphin. These crafty cetaceans are known to be playful, agile and inventive, learning to deal with their ever changing world in many ways, like using river banks and bubbles to hunt. These clever critters do suffer as a result of humans, whether caught in nets, polluted oceans or captured to be used for our entertainment.
