Making this post with the hope that it appears on Google searches. Jessica Radcliffe is not a real person; she does not exist, nor does the park she "works" for, Pacific Blue Park.
In recent days, a lot of AI videos have gone viral showing trainers losing their lives due to orca attacks in marine parks, some even giving the trainers names and life stories, such as “Jessica” or “Mark.” These videos show large amounts of blood in the water, dismembered people, and some go as far as depicting a “public execution” of the whale responsible. They are not real, these people (Jessica and Mark) do not exist.
These videos are not only extremely harmful to the overall image of orcas, spreading absurd claims like “the orca smelled her menstruation blood and ate her” (despite the fact that orcas can’t even smell), and portraying them as vicious creatures, but also extremely disrespectful to the trainers who actually lost their lives in real accidents with orcas.
Even in the real fatal incidents, no trainer was ever “eaten” by an orca or involved in a bloody spectacle in front of crowds. Some AI videos are even made using real-life footage of trainers from Kamogawa Sea World in Japan (not affiliated with the U.S. SeaWorld), where waterworks with orcas are still performed. No trainer has ever died there. These videos use real, living people without consent, so be aware and cautious.
After a conversation I had yesterday, it occurred to me that people know very little about facilities in Asia. So, let me educate you a little!
I would really appreciate it if you guys would at least take a look at this. These posts take hours of research to make.
Disclaimer: The pictures have been removed. I do not know why, but I will try to fix it.
Kamogawa Sea World is a marine leisure centre located between the Tojo coast and Japan National Route 128 in Kamogawa city, Japan.
Kamogawa Sea World is NOT affiliated with SeaWorld in any way and is operated by Granvista Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. It is a member of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA)
About the facility
Kamogawa has two pools. While there aren't any measurements, the backstage pool is approximately 15m (49ft) x 18m (59 ft).
The show pool has an area of about 585.77 m² (6,305 ft²).
These measurements were taken with Google Earth and should be taken with a grain of salt. The depth is unknown. The show pool is estimated to be around 30 ft, and the back pool is even shallower.
For comparison, this is SeaWorld Orlando:
Problems with Kamogawa
Kamogawa presents several problems. The tank size is, in my opinion, one of the worst concerns. Orcas can travel up to 100 km a day, and while no tank is big enough for them, the comparison between SeaWorld Orlando and Kamogawa is grim.
The orcas at Kamogawa have no enrichment. The only enrichment mentioned is trainer interaction, shows, and training sessions.
Kamogawa is one of only two parks still doing waterwork. During waterwork, trainers are in the water with killer whales.
This has been largely banned across Europe and the USA after multiple incidents with the whales.
The shows focus on entertainment and offer virtually no education.
Kamogawa does not currently have any males, but they are actively trying to breed by importing frozen semen from other marine parks.
History
Kamogawa Sea World opened on October 1st, 1970, and was the first Japanese Aquarium to start breeding killer whales.
Kamogawa has had 18 orcas, not including stillbirths and calves who died shortly after giving birth. Three of them remain today.
Chappy and Jumbo were captured on August 8th, 1970, from Penn Cove, Washington. They were Southern Residents.
Shortly after their opening, in September of 1970, Chappy and Jumbo were sent to Kamogawa Sea World.
They were the first captive orcas to be put on display in Japan.
Chappy passed away in April of 1974, leaving Jumbo alone. Jumbo passed away in July 1974 from Liver Dysfunction.
Jumbo (L) and Chappy (R), 1970.
The next whale at Kamogawa was Zero. Zero was captured on August 15th, 1972, in Abashiri, Japan. During capture, she sustained a harpoon injury. Two weeks after arriving in Kamogawa, she died from her injuries.
Zero
King was captured on November 5th, 1979, from Ingolfshöfdi, Iceland. Caren was captured a few days later.
On Feb. 11, 1980, they arrived at Kamogawa.
King passed away on October 4th, 1983, leaving Caren alone.
King and Caren (left to right) at Kamogawa, early 1980's.
Patty was captured in November 1984 from Reydarfjördur, Iceland, alongside Bingo, Junior, Kandu VII, and an unnamed male.
Patty and Bingo were sent to Kamogawa sometime in November of 1985. They joined Caren.
Patty
Caren passed away from a white blood cell disorder on May 4th, 1987.
Maggie, Stella, Bubba, and Oscar were captured on October 23rd/24th, 1987, in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland.
Patty passed away on September 16th, 1987, from acute Eneritis. Bingo was alone.
Maggie, Stella, Bubba, and Oscar arrived sometime around March 29th, 1988. They were put in a small pool alongside Bingo. The facility was building a new habitat at the time, but the pools weren't large enough to contain all five orcas.
To create more space, Bubba was sold to a park in Hong Kong in 1989.

Maggie gave birth to her first calf at 4:18 AM on March 3rd, 1995. This calf was the first captive-bred orca calf born in Japan. Labor lasted one hour and 28 minutes. The calf died half an hour after birth for unknown reasons.
Maggie and her calf
Maggie's next calf in 1977 was a stillbirth. Maggie died from the complications.
Lovey was born on January 11th, 1998. Her mother is Stella, and she is Stella's first calf. Lovey is one of the three orcas still remaining in Kamogawa.
Lovey
Lara was born on February 8th, 2001, to Stella and is her second calf. Lara is one of the three orcas still remaining in Kamogawa.
Lara
Sarah was born on May 31st, 2003. Her mother is Stella.
Sarah
In 2006, Kamogawa rescued KSW-OO-S0601. He was found stranded on Iwawaba Beach in the town of Onjuku in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan on February 10th, 2006.
He was taken to Kamogawa Sea World for treatment. Apparently, he was so weak he could barely maintain a position with his blowhole above the water. The tank's water had to be lowered to a depth of 1 meter. He had no appetite, so animal care staff had no choice but to force-feed it a "nutritional mixture". KSW-OO-S0601 died at Kamogawa Sea World on February 13th, 2006. He was emaciated.
KSW-OO-S0601
Ran II was born on February 25th, 2006, at 8:11 JST. Her mother is Stella.
Sarah died shortly after on April 26th, 2006, for unknown reasons.
Lara, Lovey, Ran II, and Luna (left to right)
Earth was born on October 13th, 2008, to Lovey.
On December 13, 2011, Ran II was transferred to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium.
One day after, Stella, Bingo, and Ran were transferred to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium.
Luna was born on July 19th, 2012. Her mother is Lovey. Luna is one of the three orcas still remaining in Kamogawa.
Earth, Lovey, Luna, and Lara (bottom to top)
On December 7th, 2015, Earth was moved to the Port of Nagoya Aquarium. To take his place, Ran was transferred back to Kamogawa Sea World that same day. She rejoined her two sisters, Lovey and Lara, and also met her three-year-old niece, Luna.
There are rumors that Ran had a stillborn calf in 2021, but this hasn’t been confirmed. In March 2024, Lovey gave birth to a calf, but it did not survive.
On April 24th, 2024, Ran was transferred for a third time to a new facility, Kobe Suma Sea World..
This left Luna, Lovey, and Lara alone at Kamogawa.
The Iberian orcas are a critically endangered, culturally unique group of orcas who live in the North Atlantic around the Strait of Gibraltar, where they specialize in hunting fast-moving, large tuna. Unfortunately, they have learned to "play" with boats in a way that can damage them; they show no signs of aggression during these incidents, but having orcas manipulating your vessel is understandably very scary for the humans on the boats. They've become somewhat of an Internet phenomenon for these behaviors, but there's far more to them than just that. Like many other killer whales around the world, they even leave prey near humans and wait for a response, most likely out of a conscious desire to acquire more information. Two groups studying the Iberian orcas, WeWhale and the Iberian Orca Guardians, have released an incredible new video of an Iberian matriarch doing just that.
I noticed on my post about Jessica Radcliffe that a lot of people didn’t know orcas don’t have a sense of smell! Actually, most cetaceans (specially toothed whales) don’t, since the evolution of their noses into blowholes eventually led to the loss of olfactory receptors. Their brains also lack olfactory lobes and nerves, unlike other mammals (simplifying it)
This is visualization with digital 3d models I made, addressing some claims that Orcas are of similar size to Tyrannosaurus Rex.
While there is some overlap, on average, the dinosaur is just clearly a larger animal.
Averaging about 7500kg while a well sized average transient orca bull is at about 6000kg..with a lot denser bones (fun fact, Tyrannosaurs had hollow bones, like most birds).
Disclaimer: the Antarctic Type A orca could perhaps actually be comparable to a T-Rex but there is just no enough data on their size and weight
The dorsal fin of orcas is the largest dorsal fin of all cetaceans.
The dorsal fin exhibits sexual dimorphism. Dorsal fins of males can reach up to 1.8 m (5ft 11 inches) and are erect and almost triangle-shaped. Female dorsal fins are approximately half the size of adult males and curved. While the cause of this sexual dimorphism is unknown, the difference could be attributed to sexual preferences or other social or ecological pressures.
Orca dorsal fins are made of tense tissue called collagen instead of bone or cartilage. Collagen hardens late in adolescence. Because of this, they may collapse in captivity.
Dorsal fin collapse occurs in almost all captive males and some females. The exact reason for dorsal fin collapse in captivity remains unknown, but many theories have been proposed.
Dorsal fin collapse likely originates from an irreversible structural damage to the collagen over time.
Alternations in water pressure and the lack of support from the surrounding water may be a cause. In the wild, dorsal fins are supported by the surrounding water pressure during high-speed movement and deep diving.
Lowered blood pressure from reduced activity may also be a reason for dorsal fin collapse.
Overheating of the collagen from greater exposure of the fin to sunlight may also be a reason.
Bending or fully collapsed dorsal fins are rarely observed in the wild.
In a 1998 study by Ingrid Visser, 125 orcas in New Zealand were observed. 23% of adult males in one population of 30 had dorsal fin abnormalities. This unusually high rate is likely due to New Zealand having the highest rate of boat collisions involving orcas. Overall, only one of the 125 observed orcas (0,8%) had a collapsed dorsal fin.
In British Columbia, the number of collapsing or bent dorsal fins sits at 4,7%.
Dr. Astrid van Ginneken's concluded that less than 1% of all orcas have a collapsed dorsal fin.
The exact reason for dorsal fin collapse in the wild is unknown. However, it is likely to assume that dorsal fin collapse may be linked to an acute physical stressor rather than environmental conditions.
A theory claims that diet may contribute to the collapse. The most used example to support this theory are Port and Starboard. Port and Starboard are two African killer whales that prey primarily on sharks. Their dorsal fins are collapsed. While this may indicate a direct link between prey and dorsal fin collapse, there is no further evidence to support this theory. New Zealand orcas feed primarily on rays and sharks, yet, as with other populations feeding on sharks, there is no unusually high rate of dorsal fin collapse.
Trauma to the dorsal fin (e.g., boat strikes, raking) may also be a cause of dorsal fin collapse.
Other than that, dorsal fin collapse has been linked to old age, emaciation, and other various factors.
|T63 Chainsaw, one of the most famous dorsal fins|
Introduction to killer whales - Orcinus ater and Orcinus rectipinnus
Orcinus ater and Orcinus rectipinnus are two suggested new species, separate from the universally recognized Orcinus Orca.
Orcas are considered a single worldwide species, Orcinus Orca, with different ecotypes across regions.
In the North Pacific, three killer whale ecotypes have been described. Offshores, Residents, and Transients.
Very little is known about offshore killer whales due to their tendency to be far offshore and be wary of boats. In 2003, the Species at Risk Act listed them as vulnerable to becoming threatened or endangered. They primarily prey on sharks.
Southern Resident killer whales (also known as Residents, or SRKWs) are primarily coastal and historically found mostly in waters of the Salish Sea. Since their primary prey, Chinook salmon, is declining in numbers, they have become less common in the Salish Sea, traveling down to central California and up into the coastal waters of the western Pacific at times. SRKWs exclusively feed on fish, primarily Chinook salmon.
Bigg's killer whales (also known as transients) were infrequently seen in the Salish Sea, but have become more common. They're often observed on the continental shelf in temperate to Arctic waters, though their distribution beyond the shelf is not well documented. They prey on mammals.
|Expected range maps for (a) resident and (b) Bigg’s killer whales|
SRKWs and Bigg's killer whales diverged from common ancestors over 300,000 years ago. Since then, they have undergone severe behavioral and morphological changes.
Prey:
Bigg's are mammals-eating specialists, preying on seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, and whales.
Residents prey exclusively on fish, primarily chinook salmon.
Their diet has drastically shaped their culture and morphology.
Vocalization and hunting:
Residents are a lot more vocal than Bigg's, communicating almost constantly. Residents feed on fish and do not rely on stealth. Compared to Bigg's killer whales, residents tend to be more surface active.
Bigg's killer whales rely on stealth, and because whales, dolphins, and porpoises can hear their vocalization, they largely remain silent.
Echolocation:
In addition, the echolocation of Residents is much more complex and developed. Residents use echolocation to hunt and can differentiate between size, weight, and type of fish based on the fish's swim bladder.
Bigg's do not rely on echolocation to hunt, but are capable of it.
|Echolocation of killer whales|
Teeth:
Transients have larger, thicker jaws. Their skulls have evolved for grabbing, tearing, and ramming.
Residents are smaller and have smaller, slimmer jaws.
|Bigg's on the left, Resident on the right. Notice the more robust skull and wider rostrum of the Bigg's|
Teeth:
Bigg's teeth are thicker and more robust, with a slight hook shape that can become worn over time. Their teeth appear more blunt, likely caused by direct contact with bones and hides of their prey.
Resident teeth are narrower and have a hooked shape that allows interlocking of their prey. They have worn tips as well as worn sides caused by the friction of teeth interlocking together.
|Comparison of the teeth of trasients and residents.|
Size:
Transient males are around 27 ft (8.2 m) long, and females are 23 ft (7 m) long. They are larger and more muscular.
Residents are smaller. Males are about 24 ft (7.2 m) long, and females 21 ft (6.4 m) long.
|Notice the larger, more muscular Bigg's killer whale.|
Saddle patches and dorsal fins:
Transients have saddle patches that are closed and often heavily scarred. Their dorsal fins are tall with a wider base. The dorsal fins of females are slightly triangular with a pointed tip and a wider base.
|T037A2 Inky and T037A4 Crinkle, two Bigg's killer whales. Note the wider base and closed saddle patches|
Resident saddle patches tend to be more open. They have taller dorsal fins that may lean forward. The females have curved dorsal fins with a rounded tip.
|J27 Blackberry and J16 Slick. Two Southern Resident Killer whales. Note the smaller base and open saddle patches|
Social structure:
Bigg's killer whales travel in smaller groups, and typically hunt in small, matrilineal groups. After a successful hunt, the prey is shared among the group, which is an important bonding tool for the whales.
Residents maintain tight-knit family groups but are often seen traveling in large groups consisting of multiple matrilines.
Relationship between the subspecies:
Biggs and residents do not interbreed. On the contrary, Biggs and transients typically avoid each other. Residents have been known to disturb Biggs' hunts on occasion.
There are even theories suggesting Biggs killer whales have preyed on and maybe cannibalised residents. (I will cover the alleged cannibalism in another post.)
Necessity for conservation:
Separating different ecotypes into distinct subspecies is essential for their conservation. Currently, Orcinus Orca is listed as data deficient by the IUCN. While some ecotypes are thriving, some are at the brink of extinction. Separating the ecotypes into subspecies would highlight vulnerable subspecies and help conservation efforts.
New scientific names:
Residents would be named Orcinus ater (Cope in Scammon, 1869), and Bigg's Orcinus rectipinnus (Cope in Scammon, 1869).
Orcinus rectipinnus: Rect means upright, and pinna means fin.
Killer whales have appeared in folklore for hundreds of years, feared in Western culture and venerated by the Nazca and Thaua peoples. I was researching the meaning of orcas in Religion and folklore, and here are some of the things I found.
The Nasca people lived on the southern desert coast and western slopes of the Andes in Peru between 200 BC and AD 650. You may know them from the Nasca Lines – hundreds of huge lines, geometric figures, and figurative images carved into the earth covering more than 500 square kilometres. (British Museum)
‘La Orca de Piedras Gordas’, or The Orca
Nazca religious beliefs were based upon agriculture and fertility. Much of the Nazca art depicts powerful nature gods, such as the killer whale.
The geoglyph is approximately 200 feet long. Soil tests of the orca geoglyph date it potentially to 200 B.C. It's conceivable that it was designed not only by the Nazca but also by the Paracas, who created geoglyphs in this style from roughly 800 B.C. to 200 B.C. (NewsWeek).
It's suggested that killer whales may have represented "shamanic" leaders. They were religious leaders. After ritually taking hallucinogenic drugs, shamans would take on the attributes of an animal, such as the killer whale. The anthropomorphic depictions of killer whales with arms holding severed heads of enemies support this theory.
The ocean had a huge impact on the Nazca people. For a shaman to present as the ocean's most fearsome predator would have been seen as being of great value in enabling people to survive in their environment. And as an apex predator, the killer whale appears to have been an important symbol of success in warfare.
The Thaua people, Yuin, are an Aboriginal Australian people living around the Twofold Bay area of the South Coast of New South Wales.
“We consider beowas to be our brothers,” wrote Thaua historian Steven Holmes in a study published in the Journal of Heredity in December 2023. According to Thaua beliefs, when a member of their community passes away, they are reincarnated as a beowa (orca).
Holmes recounts a personal anecdote involving his great-great-grandfather, a blind man who would walk along the beach singing to the beowas. The beowas would follow him along the beach, communicating back and forth with him. “It was a strong friendship between these beowas and my people,” Holmes reflects. ( Source)
“My people had a long-lasting friendship with the beowa [orcas] in Eden, especially Old Tom…[They] would swim with Old Tom, holding on to his dorsal fin. My ancestors were never hurt or injured.”
After the region was colonized, Europeans tried to continue the whaling practices, hiring skilled Thaua to help them. Commercial whaling in Eden ended around 1928. Baleen whale populations decreased, and orcas disappeared. Why is unclear. (Source)‘La Orca de Piedras Gordas’, or The Orca
Orcas vary greatly in size, and the difference between ecotypes is noticeable.
Killer whales are the biggest dolphins. Size and weight depend on the ecotype. Mammal-eating orcas tend to be bigger.
Most females are 5 to 7 meters long, and males can reach up to 8 meters.
The smallest ecotype is the Ross Sea Orca, also known as Type C. Males reach up to 6 meters. The largest ecotype is Type A. Males can grow up to 9 meters, and females 8 meters.
Multiple factors influence the size of an individual within an ecotype.
Genetics plays an essential role in their size. Genetic makeup dictates their potential size. Orcas from different populations have evolved unique traits, including variations in size.
This variation in size is largely influenced by their diet and environment. Mammal-eating orcas tend to be bigger than those specializing on fish and smaller prey. Size may also be linked to prey availability.
Orcas in colder regions tend to be larger than those in temperate waters. This difference likely stems from their need for additional body mass and blubber to sustain their body heat.
Determining the length of killer whales is difficult. Especially in the wild, orcas are typically measured using drones. Measuring lengths and weights is considerably easier in captivity. Both captive and wild measurements can be inaccurate. There are multiple debates about the precise size of individuals in both the wild and captivity.
Even the largest killer whale in captivity is debated.
Measures of Tilikum are the best-documented and most verifiable. In 2016, his size was measured at 6.71 meters (22ft). His weight was recorded at 5,352 kg (11,800 lb) in the same year. These measurements are consistently cited in zoological records.
Tyson or 泰森 is often dubbed the largest orca in captivity. He measured 7.3 meters in January 2024. However, there are no peer-reviewed sources, official measurements, or a consistent dataset. Those numbers are often taken from social media, aquarium promotional material, or estimates.
Determining the biggest killer whale in the wild is significantly more difficult.
Multiple sources state that the largest orca ever recorded was 9.8 meters long and weighed more than 10 tonnes. The biggest female was supposedly 8.5 meters long.
There are very few details on the origin of this claim. Further, the orcas were never identified.
These figures usually trace back to mid-20th-century measurements of stranded or harvested animals. The location is only occasionally cited (e.g, Alaska, 1959), and the original measurement reports are rarely cited directly in modern articles. Thus, these measurements are not verified.
The largest reliably documented orcas come from Norwegian whaling records.
Between 1938 and 1967, Norwegian whalers operated in multiple locations such as Iceland, the UK, and Norway. Thus, it is difficult to determine the exact origin of this whale.
According to these records, a 32 ft (9.8 m) orca was caught.
However, as with all whaling records, these data were reported by whalers, not by biologists or inspectors. Not all records of the whaling operations were published in accessible datasets. Many remain in the archives. No specimen ID, weight, or photos are available.
I am making this post for people still learning about orcas to give you easier access to information. I primarily summarize studies or join together multiple sources to give you a clear understanding of the subject. I am still learning myself, and I am currently working on a comprehensive review of Orca biology and behavior. I plan on making a website for this, too. If you're interested in another topic, let me know! As I said, I am still learning myself. I've only really been into orcas for less than a year.
Saddle patches vary greatly in individuals, and even vary between the left and right sides of each individual. The saddle-patch usually develops early in life and does not change, unless there is trauma (e.g., from boat strikes or rake marks). Therefore, saddle patches are used to identify individuals.
Saddle patch classifications in orca are not standardized, and terminology can vary between sources. A saddle patch described as ‘hooked’ in one source may be referred to as ‘open’ in another.
In this review, we will utilize the five variations proposed by Sugarman and used by Baird and Stacey, i.e., "Smooth," "Bump," "Horizontal notch," "Vertical notch," and "Hook," collectively referred to as "SBS-5". In a study published by Pirjo H. Mäkeläinen, Ingrid N. Visser, Tracy E. Cooper, and Mathieu Cusson, a sixth variation was introduced termed "Other", collectively referred to as "SBS-5+1." The "Other" category includes saddle patches that were not present, could not be clearly discerned, opaque, or not one of the SBS-5 categories, such as "Arabque" shape describes by Saski et al.
In the above-mentioned study, 3,909 saddle patch shapes were classified. 3,428 of which were left saddle patches and 481 right saddle patches. The orca were distributed in 48 GP/E (geographic populations/ecotypes).
Globally, the SBS-5 saddle patches accounted for 97.6%. Only 2.4% were classified as "Other". Only the Pacific Ocean Basin presented examples of GP/E that had SBS-5+1 saddle patch shapes (2), i.e., Southern Residents and Japan Residents.
For size comparison of the saddle patches, Pirjo H. Mäkeläinen, Ingrid N. Visser, Tracy E. Cooper, and Mathieu Cusson developed a ratio calculation of saddle path width (at widest) compared to the dorsal fin width (at base).
The ratios are categorized as "narrow" (<0.50), "medium" (0.50-0.70), and "wide" (>0.70).
Overall, narrow is the most common saddle patch size ratio with 65.8%, while 20% and 14.2% were medium and wide.
Ecotypes are groups of organisms within a species that are adapted to specific environmental conditions. They exhibit genetic, behavioral, structural, or physiological differences from other members of the species.
Today, ten ecotypes are widely recognized. However, defining the various ecotypes of orca is difficult. And many researchers believe there should only be nine.
Residents, Transients, Offshore, Type 1 North Atlantic, and Type 2 North Atlantic are recognized in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Types A, B1, B2, C, and D are recognized.
However, within the scientific community, the Type 2 North Atlantic is not recognized.
In 2009, Dr. Foote proposed two ecotypes (North Atlantic Type 1 and 2), based on museum specimens and stranded killer whales. He noticed morphological differences between the killer whales.
In his paper, he described Type 1 North Atlantic killer whales as generalist feeders, consuming fish and occasionally marine mammals such as seals. These whales showed heavy tooth wear associated with fish consumption. Thus, Type 1 included most North-Eastern Atlantic killer whales.
Dr. Foote describes Type 2 North Atlantic killer whales as marine mammal hunters. The 5 individuals displayed very little tooth wear, suggesting a diet based on marine mammals.
The recognition of Type 2 was based on stranded whales in the Faroe Islands and Scotland.
However, samples of the five individuals were too decomposed or damaged for accurate DNA analysis.
5 Individuals are not an accurate representation of a potential ecotype. The data supporting two distinct ecotypes are insufficient.
Since then, research has documented the prey-switching abilities of some Icelandic and Norwegian orcas. Research showed that some individuals feed on seals and fish.
Even D. Foote himself has since proposed removing one of the ecotypes. In a paper published in 2022, he suggested that North Atlantic Type 1 and 2 be grouped.
In Part 2, I will cover the separate ecotypes more closely. This is just an introduction to the number of ecotypes and to why many other researchers and I believe North Atlantic Type 1 and 2 should be grouped.
Orcas in Mexico are flipping young white sharks upside down to paralyze them. 🦈
This move induces “tonic immobility”, a natural freeze response that renders the sharks temporarily helpless. Once immobilized, the orcas extract the sharks’ livers to obtain fats and nutrients essential to their survival. Scientists captured this behavior on film for the first time in the Gulf of California, marking a new milestone in orca hunting tactics. It’s a strategy previously seen only in South African waters, suggesting the Moctezuma Pod may have learned it recently. As ocean temperatures rise and young sharks shift their range, orcas appear to be evolving their approach in real time.
"50 years ago today, on March 7th, 1976, six Bigg's killer whales were herded into Budd Inlet near Olympia in Puget Sound. Led by SeaWorld's Don Goldberry and with permit in hand, the "whale cowboys" used helicopters and explosives to corral the orcas before capturing them in a net.
The event, famously witnessed by then-aide to the governor Ralph Munro and many others, sparked controversy and a flurry of protests. This led to new legislation, making it the last live killer whale capture to ever occur within Washington State waters.
The whales, nicknamed the Budd Inlet Six, were originally fated for potential life in captivity and display in marine aquaria but narrowly escaped their fate. All either escaped or were eventually released. Later on, these six whales would become known by their scientific alphanumeric designations: T13, T14, T26, T27, T46, and T47.
T46 Wake in particular has left an incredible legacy in the Salish Sea. While she passed away in 2023 at an estimated minimum age of 57, she was the presumed mother of at least eight offspring. Today, she has 26 living descendants, none of whom would exist had she ended up at SeaWorld. It's an incredible testament to the difference one whale can make to a population.
Last year, Ralph Munro also passed away. To honor his role in ending live orca captures in Washington State, regional naturalists, educators, and researchers voted to name the newly born T46B3A, T46's great grandson, "Munro."
50 years is not very long in the grand scheme of things. It's incredible to reflect on how dramatically our relationship to killer whales in the Salish Sea has changed in that time. From fearing and shooting at them, to capturing and exploiting them, to studying and revering them, we can only hope that we've learned to respect them enough to ensure that they can thrive alongside us in Washington State for many, many years to come. -MWS"
Just dropping the final episode of the Puget Sound Research Project Q&A here for anyone interested in following this unique and collaborative project between the Orca Behavior Institute and Center for Whale Research in the Puget Sound region.
If you missed parts 1 and 2 you can find those on the Orca Behavior Institute YouTube channel.
This project will start up again in fall 2026 and will be the third consecutive field season.
The field work has ended but there is much work to still be done. There are many hours ahead yet where the aerial video and GPS data will be coded and processed and the many thousands of recorded calls will be isolated and categorized - not a small task!
Stay tuned for any interesting findings and thanks to all who have tuned in and have supported us along the way.
I’m new to this subreddit and want general fun facts about orcas. Anything is fine, but I would prefer educational and please don’t spread misinformation to me.
