Orcas are dolphins, just more formidable. Their brains match & likely exceed chimpanzees due to specialization. Like humans, they've adapted to all of the climates of the planet.
This was fascinating. I learned so much about Orcas. Thank you. Have you watched the series Planet Earth II? It’s wonderful. The footage is stunning. They showed an Orca mama teaching her babes how to catch and kill a baby seal by torturing a baby seal for hours before finally having it for lunch. It’s a must watch show.
I'm glad you enjoyed it Carissa! I could watch anything with David Attenborough talking. We watched Season 1 & part of 2. I don't remember the episode about the Orcas but will probably seek it out soon! Thanks. If you did not click in the story, the linked NPR interview with the woman and her team that transport yachts was very entertaining.
I've been lucky enough to see killer whales twice in my life, once a pod just cruising along in Wellington harbour and once circling a piece of sea ice in Antarctica (the sea ice contained penguins so I'm sure you know where that story was headed).
And I never knew they were most closely related to hippos. That is so cool, thank you.
Many years ago I worked in Central California --- I remember it well because our location on the coast meant I could go to the cafeteria and then eat my lunch outside. Our location meant we were a year-round site for blues, grays and humpbacks. Amazing creatures.I saw them a lot but realize now I probably should have made the time to eat outside even more often. We can always be too busy. I have never seen Orcas except in captivity. The bit of research I did for this post means now if I ever do I will immediately think they were once housecats :)
Thanks for reading and commenting Melanie. I would imagine for most any ecosystem, it is the apex predator that can distort things in unimagined manners. I have a faithful reader early on when I started doing polls that encouraged the (E) Something else -- I always enjoy when someone chooses that option
I am one with the 40% who wish rats were not mammals like us. Love the Orca story but I prefer to believe, as some news reports have implied, that they are getting back at us. Or more to the point, those filthy rich people. I know, I know, I'm bitter but oh well.
Oh, oh, oh Charlotte -- I am working hard to get my average post length closer to 10 minutes so some of this post ended up on the cutting room floor. One of my favorite readers in the comments (Stephanie Losi) explored alternate explanations also!!! I have such SMART readers! The White Gladis reference is definitely RIGHT up your alley. My next post is going to make peripheral comments to animal intelligence and consciousness. I think you may like it.
Interesting in what ways the orcas are intelligent (group dynamics, sharing information (crows do this, too!)) and in what ways they make errors (mistaking yachts for sharks, just as sharks occasionally mistake humans on surfboards for fish!).
Thanks for commenting Stephanie.I always enjoy your insights and the next questions! It sounds like you have great interest in the Orcas and other high intelligence animals too! I have this new commitment / goal toward 10 minutes or less so I threw a few things out. The alternate theory for what is going on is much closer to human behavior. That theory is this is not a mistake, nor play but intentional in response to a traumatic experience for the leader of the pod. It could very well be revenge and treating the ships as predators. You might love looking up "White Gladis" you will enjoy the alternate theories of how the boat attacks started and are now escalating. I will try to post a long-form interview I heard on NPR. It was crazy-interesting!!!
Hey, what do you guys have against bats? They have adorable little doggy faces! It's not their fault that humans mixed them into the vampire stories. Google the flying fox - pure cuteness, plus it's a fruit eater.
Bats are awesome, but I don't have to live with them and apart from COVID I've never caught one of their viruses. And believe me, if I had to catch a bat virus, I'd definitely take COVID over Hendra, Ebola, Marburg, Nipah...
I thought this the best comment of the post so far. A great multi-season show on television a number of years ago was titled "The Americans". It was a bout a fictitious planted couple of Soviet spies. It was VERY POPULAR here in the States. One f the episodes was about the Marburg virus -- yikes. Some day, with his permission I might share a story from my son when he was in Okinawa -- a humorous story about fruit bats. I am now afraid to look up Hendra -- thanks for scaring me this morning Melanie.
I had no idea what an echidna was so I looked it up. I learned that the difference between a hedgehog and an echidna is the echidna has much bigger feet!
Thanks for commenting Anne -- I never knew what an echidna was -- my Mom and I used to the NYT Crossword together and I think I learned the word there -- was not inquisitive enough to check out the foot size tho so thanks -- If my readers were VENNED with Your readers, I would imagine you attract many of the NYT Crossword crowd and that would have distorted the poll :) -- for videogammers, I bet Nintendo would have falled if they had named their character Sonic the Echidna -- hedgehog is way better :)
C'mon, bats, platypuses, echidnas, and rats are awesome! I am happy that they are all mammals like me. Orcas are cool, too. And "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" rocked! Fun post, thank you.
A bit slow responding today Jeannine. I ALWAYS appreciate your comments. I think my poll this week was a bit of "stir the pot". The truth is we need them all and when we arrogantly go for "that's a lesser animal" it probably has consequences for us all. I LOVED Wild Kingdom when I was a kid also.. Thanks for always joining in the comments.
I haven't posted about it yet but have a draft about certain "critters". It is sort of a clarion call. We know the creatures that have SOMEHOW survived the mass extinctions. The crazy thing is essentially the creatures more resilient than any ever on the planet are now, in many cases endangered by mankind like sharks and crabs and the like. We have it in our power and in this era of exponential increase in demand will likely kill them off. It is a hard topic for the premise "Why Living Today Rocks"
I didn't want to make today''s post too long but the ten major sub-classifications of Orcas are much more threatened than the 50,000 might indicate to some. Some of the subclasses are under 100 animals and even if we immediately protected them, the level of in-breeding will likely be their end in the next 30 years or less.
Maybe you can work it into "Why Living Today Rocks" by tying in the fact that there is plenty of NON-critter-based foods (i.e., plant-based) available now, if only people are willing to stop eating their fellow critters. We're omnivores, not carnivores, so we could get along perfectly well (in fact much more healthily) by cutting back on or cutting out the meat and fish in the human diet. The human species seems hellbent on eating ourselves and the rest of the planet's inhabitants into oblivion... if everyone quits insisting that we have to kill something to get enough protein, our fellow critters might survive. But of course I'm preaching to the choir. I'll hop off the soapbox, now. 📦
Thanks Jeannine -- I think you are probably right. Every one of these proteins has become a heavily industrialized process and almost all of the key inputs start out as fossil fuels. I am hopeful we will figure out the protein sourcing over the next two decades .In the meantime, it seems inevitable with the massive inequities in wealth, we will tap out the ocean fish in the next 25 years or so. The numbers and trends are just against us. I admit to a love of seafood. Our system keeps score with money -- not sure if there is an answer to free protein. Most wild animals on land have been decimated and it seems modern fishing will do the same with fish that we did to the bison.
Jul 10, 2023·edited Jul 10, 2023Liked by Mark Dolan
This is one of my favorites of your posts, Mark! And not just because you mention notes :) Briefly, in college, I considered becoming a cetologist because I was so fascinated by the social patterns of whales and dolphins. Your essay is a case in point--they are just SO interesting! Thanks for writing this and reminding me how much I love these creatures.
Thanks for commenting Jillian.I always enjoy your comments.
I write about all sorts of things as you may have noticed. One of my sons studied marine science and my conversations with him are inspiring. The cetaceans, as you so kindly introduced to the comments are simply remarkable creatures and I'm glad at least one person among the readers understands the wonder.
This was fascinating. I learned so much about Orcas. Thank you. Have you watched the series Planet Earth II? It’s wonderful. The footage is stunning. They showed an Orca mama teaching her babes how to catch and kill a baby seal by torturing a baby seal for hours before finally having it for lunch. It’s a must watch show.
I'm glad you enjoyed it Carissa! I could watch anything with David Attenborough talking. We watched Season 1 & part of 2. I don't remember the episode about the Orcas but will probably seek it out soon! Thanks. If you did not click in the story, the linked NPR interview with the woman and her team that transport yachts was very entertaining.
Thx. I will try to listen.
Haven't been able to find Planet Earth II so far. Too many streaming services already :( looking for the orca episode
I've been lucky enough to see killer whales twice in my life, once a pod just cruising along in Wellington harbour and once circling a piece of sea ice in Antarctica (the sea ice contained penguins so I'm sure you know where that story was headed).
And I never knew they were most closely related to hippos. That is so cool, thank you.
Many years ago I worked in Central California --- I remember it well because our location on the coast meant I could go to the cafeteria and then eat my lunch outside. Our location meant we were a year-round site for blues, grays and humpbacks. Amazing creatures.I saw them a lot but realize now I probably should have made the time to eat outside even more often. We can always be too busy. I have never seen Orcas except in captivity. The bit of research I did for this post means now if I ever do I will immediately think they were once housecats :)
I voted E. Billionaires. I'm sure the orcas agree with me.
Thanks for reading and commenting Melanie. I would imagine for most any ecosystem, it is the apex predator that can distort things in unimagined manners. I have a faithful reader early on when I started doing polls that encouraged the (E) Something else -- I always enjoy when someone chooses that option
I am one with the 40% who wish rats were not mammals like us. Love the Orca story but I prefer to believe, as some news reports have implied, that they are getting back at us. Or more to the point, those filthy rich people. I know, I know, I'm bitter but oh well.
Oh, oh, oh Charlotte -- I am working hard to get my average post length closer to 10 minutes so some of this post ended up on the cutting room floor. One of my favorite readers in the comments (Stephanie Losi) explored alternate explanations also!!! I have such SMART readers! The White Gladis reference is definitely RIGHT up your alley. My next post is going to make peripheral comments to animal intelligence and consciousness. I think you may like it.
Interesting in what ways the orcas are intelligent (group dynamics, sharing information (crows do this, too!)) and in what ways they make errors (mistaking yachts for sharks, just as sharks occasionally mistake humans on surfboards for fish!).
Here is the NPR Transcript -- it is a fun listen -- https://www.npr.org/2023/06/13/1181693759/orcas-killer-whales-boat-attacks
Thanks for commenting Stephanie.I always enjoy your insights and the next questions! It sounds like you have great interest in the Orcas and other high intelligence animals too! I have this new commitment / goal toward 10 minutes or less so I threw a few things out. The alternate theory for what is going on is much closer to human behavior. That theory is this is not a mistake, nor play but intentional in response to a traumatic experience for the leader of the pod. It could very well be revenge and treating the ships as predators. You might love looking up "White Gladis" you will enjoy the alternate theories of how the boat attacks started and are now escalating. I will try to post a long-form interview I heard on NPR. It was crazy-interesting!!!
Hey, what do you guys have against bats? They have adorable little doggy faces! It's not their fault that humans mixed them into the vampire stories. Google the flying fox - pure cuteness, plus it's a fruit eater.
Bats are awesome, but I don't have to live with them and apart from COVID I've never caught one of their viruses. And believe me, if I had to catch a bat virus, I'd definitely take COVID over Hendra, Ebola, Marburg, Nipah...
I thought this the best comment of the post so far. A great multi-season show on television a number of years ago was titled "The Americans". It was a bout a fictitious planted couple of Soviet spies. It was VERY POPULAR here in the States. One f the episodes was about the Marburg virus -- yikes. Some day, with his permission I might share a story from my son when he was in Okinawa -- a humorous story about fruit bats. I am now afraid to look up Hendra -- thanks for scaring me this morning Melanie.
Hendra is scary, but only if you are around horses in Australia. Can't catch it directly from a bat.
My son who served in the USN in Okinawa, JP told tales of fruit bats with wingspans 2-3 feet and they loved to hover right about you
Lucky him!
So fun to read about orcas! Thank you Mr. Dolan.
I had no idea what an echidna was so I looked it up. I learned that the difference between a hedgehog and an echidna is the echidna has much bigger feet!
Echidnas are also the only surviving monotreme - in other words, they are the only mammal that lays eggs! Cute little buggers, too. 🦔
There's also the platypus. Also cute little things.
Jeannine, meet Melanie. Melanie, meet Jeannine -- two naturalists meet -- this is what the Substack comments are for :)
Hi Jeannine, nice to meet you.
Amazing what is learned in the comments :)
Thanks for commenting Anne -- I never knew what an echidna was -- my Mom and I used to the NYT Crossword together and I think I learned the word there -- was not inquisitive enough to check out the foot size tho so thanks -- If my readers were VENNED with Your readers, I would imagine you attract many of the NYT Crossword crowd and that would have distorted the poll :) -- for videogammers, I bet Nintendo would have falled if they had named their character Sonic the Echidna -- hedgehog is way better :)
C'mon, bats, platypuses, echidnas, and rats are awesome! I am happy that they are all mammals like me. Orcas are cool, too. And "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" rocked! Fun post, thank you.
A bit slow responding today Jeannine. I ALWAYS appreciate your comments. I think my poll this week was a bit of "stir the pot". The truth is we need them all and when we arrogantly go for "that's a lesser animal" it probably has consequences for us all. I LOVED Wild Kingdom when I was a kid also.. Thanks for always joining in the comments.
We're all critters, after all. 😉
I haven't posted about it yet but have a draft about certain "critters". It is sort of a clarion call. We know the creatures that have SOMEHOW survived the mass extinctions. The crazy thing is essentially the creatures more resilient than any ever on the planet are now, in many cases endangered by mankind like sharks and crabs and the like. We have it in our power and in this era of exponential increase in demand will likely kill them off. It is a hard topic for the premise "Why Living Today Rocks"
I didn't want to make today''s post too long but the ten major sub-classifications of Orcas are much more threatened than the 50,000 might indicate to some. Some of the subclasses are under 100 animals and even if we immediately protected them, the level of in-breeding will likely be their end in the next 30 years or less.
Maybe you can work it into "Why Living Today Rocks" by tying in the fact that there is plenty of NON-critter-based foods (i.e., plant-based) available now, if only people are willing to stop eating their fellow critters. We're omnivores, not carnivores, so we could get along perfectly well (in fact much more healthily) by cutting back on or cutting out the meat and fish in the human diet. The human species seems hellbent on eating ourselves and the rest of the planet's inhabitants into oblivion... if everyone quits insisting that we have to kill something to get enough protein, our fellow critters might survive. But of course I'm preaching to the choir. I'll hop off the soapbox, now. 📦
Thanks Jeannine -- I think you are probably right. Every one of these proteins has become a heavily industrialized process and almost all of the key inputs start out as fossil fuels. I am hopeful we will figure out the protein sourcing over the next two decades .In the meantime, it seems inevitable with the massive inequities in wealth, we will tap out the ocean fish in the next 25 years or so. The numbers and trends are just against us. I admit to a love of seafood. Our system keeps score with money -- not sure if there is an answer to free protein. Most wild animals on land have been decimated and it seems modern fishing will do the same with fish that we did to the bison.
Beans are cheaper than fish. Just sayin'.
This is one of my favorites of your posts, Mark! And not just because you mention notes :) Briefly, in college, I considered becoming a cetologist because I was so fascinated by the social patterns of whales and dolphins. Your essay is a case in point--they are just SO interesting! Thanks for writing this and reminding me how much I love these creatures.
Thanks for commenting Jillian.I always enjoy your comments.
I write about all sorts of things as you may have noticed. One of my sons studied marine science and my conversations with him are inspiring. The cetaceans, as you so kindly introduced to the comments are simply remarkable creatures and I'm glad at least one person among the readers understands the wonder.