Killer Whales in Gulf of Mexico

[sadlerfan]

Don't believe this has been posted but I thought this was pretty cool.

 

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/3619375/detail.html

 

 

:)

[TXBABYLUV]

Thats pretty cool, thanks for sharing! ;)

[kyriecat]

I can't believe we flew all the way to Seattle a couple months ago to see whales and didn't find any. I guess we should have headed south! WOW!!

 

I've seen pictures of sperm whales taken from by the ROV cameras but never a killer whale. I wonder if the killer whales can survive in the Gulf since the water is so much warmer than they are used to.

[jstducky]

that is so cool. thanks for sharing. on our alaska cruise last year we saw about 6 killer whales. it was such a sight to see!

[wellmcguire]

If you want to find whales closer to home...check out http://www.greywhale.com

COOL SITE too!

[Littlegoo75]

Wow! Orcas are the most amazing animals. Technically members of the dolphin family, not whales. It is rare to see them in the warmer waters, I wonder what they are doing there? They should be fine and survive in the warmer waters, although that is how Keiko ( the killer whale from Free Willy) started to become ill ( but that was also in captivity, and in a very small pool for such a large animal).

There are two types of orcas; residents which typically live up north - and don't migrate too far, and then there are the transients that will meander. I have read that the residents are more family oriented ( killer whales are monogomous creatures and usually live with their families or "pods" and calm, while the transients are more violent.

I was going to major in Zoology to become a trainer at Sea World, that was my life dream, until I realized that these magnificent creatures do not really belong in captivity. I say leave the wild ones alone, and as for the ones already in captivity, they are breeding enough now that there is no need for anymore to be snatched from their homes.

[BethCarp]

Wow!! Thanks for sharing. That is absolutely amazing. I went to Alaska last summer with the main purpose of seeing orcas (and humpbacks too). I only saw a few dorsal fins. I can't believe the pictures that guy took from the Gulf. How lucky was he???

[Littlegoo75]

I would be bummed out if I went on an Alaska cruise and didn't see any orcas. I think the Puget Sound area in Seattle are a really good place to sight the resident orcas.

[Sophie]

I hope we get to see whales on our next cruise! We'll have our first balcony cabin!

[cruisekimmy]

Wow!!!how Cool!!

[txcarrie]

I live in the Houston area and can't believe there were Orcas in the Gulf so close. I can't imagine why they came. The water temp is in the 80's for sure. I sure hope they don't have any problems. I agree with the statement above about not captivating anymore wild or free orcas or any mammals for that matter. I have a really hard time even going to the zoo. We had a Gorrilla die a few months ago in the Houston Zoo. He died of old age but was the last living Gorrilla in North America that originated from the Congo. I think they should leave them in their natural habitats! JMHO!

Carrie

[Littlegoo75]

Animals are best kept in their natural habitats, but the evil humans out there have invaded these habitats causing them to become endangered, especially in Africa and Asia. There are many zoos out there that are doing their best to make the enclosures as close to the animal's natural habitat as possible. The San Diego zoo is a great example.

The Bengal tiger ( or is it the Siberian tiger?) is almost extinct. Captivity is really their only chance of survival, and there are many other species in the same situation.

When endangered animals are in the wild, poachers will get to them because their parts are worth a lot of money - think ivory, and as far as the poor tigers are concerned, in China, it is believed that tiger penises are the cure for impotency. Captivity isn't always bad, it can help certain animals when their natural environment has become too dangerous for them.

However, for animals such as Orcas and other marine life, when their natural environment is the vast ocean, and they aren't necessarily in danger in that habitat, they should be left alone.

Another thing, zoos are educational, and children who have been to zoos come to appreciate animals and grow up to have respect for them and fight for their preservation. Captive animals sort of serve as ambassadors for their species, if you think about it. If it weren't for the orcas that have been in captivity, people like us may not have grown to appreciate them so much, and we might see them as viscious killers, and not the gentle creatures ( who attack other whales to survive) that Shamu has taught us to see them as. There are enough in captivity now who would probably not survive in the wild now, ( think of poor Keiko's demise) there is not a need for anymore.

[BirmanCrazy]

Siberian Tigers and Sumatran Tigers are on the Endangered list. Several tiger species are already extinct. :(

[Littlegoo75]

Tigers are such beautiful animals, it's such a shame - damn all of those people who just had to have the skins, penises, etc. It's so unfair.

[brn2crz]

Actually,there are alot of Dolphin and whales,and sharks...(the Orca is the Largest in the Dolphin family) in the gulf.They are just usually never this close.

Last night on the news,one explantion may be the "dead zone"..This is an area in the Gulf,created by the fertilizer from farms,emptying into the rivers that empty into the gulf.This causes hyper growth of algae,which takes all the oxygen out of the water,therefore,marine life can't exit there.It occurs every summer,and is larger than usual this year.Some are thinking this has caused much more marine life closer too shore,hence the sharks and Whale increase.

[Littlegoo75]

I've been studying Orcas my whole life, I didn't know that they can regularly be found in the Gulf. Maybe they are taking their summer vacations down there too! A tropical getaway from the North!

[brn2crz]

http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1607481&nav=BsmgKHnu

 

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/tm/tm182/174.pdf

 

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/tm/tm182/168.pdf

 

 

Littlegoo look at these sites. keep in mind that news story is from Jan,not last weekend...I didn't hear anything about it then???

[Divetex]

.....we know they're just looking for Shamu. :D

[brn2crz]

Speaking of Shamu,and weird whale behavior...Did ya see the one at Seaworld go a little nutzo??Thats not Shamu is it??

 

DIvetex...have you done the Flower Garden dive off of Freeport...Is it worth it?

[Littlegoo75]

Yeah, I heard about what happened at SeaWorld, and actually saw some of the footage. It seemed that the orca was getting a little "frisky" but didn't seem like it wanted to harm the trainer, just playing a little rough. Believe me, if that whale (dolphin) wanted to harm anyone, it could have in one big bite. Anytime anyone swims with such a huge undomesticated creature, they have to be cautious.

It was my dream since I was 5 to be a killer whale trainer, but as I got older and wiser, I realized that they don't belong in captivity, so I didn't want to contribute. I also realized that as a Zoology major, I would have to take a lot of lab classes, and dissecting animals makes me vomit, so I changed my major.

As for Shamu, there are several different Shamus - I think the original has passed on.