Killer whales are killer whales, right? It might be a lot more complicated than that
9 months, 1 week ago

Killer whales are killer whales, right? It might be a lot more complicated than that

LA Times  

More than 150 years ago, a San Francisco whaler noticed something about killer whales that scientists may be about to formally recognize — at least in name. Transients — also called Bigg’s killer whales — hunt seals and other marine mammals in small packs in expansive waters stretching from Southern California to the Arctic Circle. “We’re facing a global conservation crisis, losing species that we don’t even know exist,” said Phillip Morin, the new study’s lead author and a marine mammal geneticist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center. In a paper penned three years later, Scammon paints a vivid picture of killer whales, from their “beautifully smooth and glossy skin” to their “somewhat military aspect,” even including drawings. John Durban, an associate professor with Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute and co-author of the new study, said he supports using the name “Blackfish,” which is used by some tribes in the Pacific Northwest.

History of this topic

Special killer whale hunting strategy unravelled as orcas take on mighty whale sharks
1 month, 2 weeks ago
How killer whales move around Australia now better understood, thanks to citizen science project
8 months, 1 week ago
We've got orcas all wrong and it's killing them
1 year ago
Mystery behind killer whales killing porpoises without eating them finally unravelled
1 year, 3 months ago
Mother killer whales protect their sons - but not their daughters, study finds
1 year, 5 months ago
Researchers: Inbreeding a big problem for endangered orcas
1 year, 9 months ago
Canadian Scientists Find New Species of Killer Whales That Hunt Large Sea Mammals
3 years, 3 months ago
Killer whales stripping long-line fishers of catch in the Southern Ocean
3 years, 8 months ago
Pleas for killer whales to have more space after spate of harassments
4 years, 3 months ago
Orca populations may extend beyond Bremer Bay hotspot, researchers say
4 years, 6 months ago
3 orcas from an extremely endangered group are presumed dead, leaving only 73
5 years, 5 months ago
A female baby Southern Resident Killer Whale has been born. This is good news since only 76 such whales are left
5 years, 6 months ago
The killer whales of the Puget Sound are dying out and we can't save them
5 years, 7 months ago
Blue whale savaged off the south coast of WA by hungry killer whales
5 years, 9 months ago
Mysterious killer whales seen off the coast of Chile could be a new species
5 years, 9 months ago
Scientists discover different kind of killer whale off Chile
5 years, 10 months ago
Scientists have found what could be a new kind of killer whale
5 years, 10 months ago
Killer whale filmed swimming to within inches of scientists before 'offering fish'
5 years, 10 months ago

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