freedom-for-orcas

[freedom-for-orcas]

CA40 with her great grandchildren.

[freedom-for-orcas]

I’ve been feeling pretty down lately, so I’ve been looking through some photos of the J16s being awesome (as usual) to help cheer me up.

[freedom-for-orcas]

L88 Wave Walker Appreciation [2/50] Photo by Connie Bickerton Request a whale appreciation here! | View the killer whale appreciation masterlist here!

[freedom-for-orcas]

One of the videos I took on Tuesday, to show how close they were getting!

The wake at the beginning of the vid is from when they popped up right underneath us 🌊

And I kept the sound on, despite the bits of chatter, so you can hear that distinctive blow 💨 

[freedom-for-orcas]

Orcas, Open Ocean Safari Expedition (Pelagic Life/Jerónimo Prieto)

[freedom-for-orcas]

K26 “Lobo” spypeek 😊

#killerwhale #blackfish #wildlife #exploreBC #nature #srkw #kpod #salishsea #endangeredspecies #salmon #nofishnoblackfish http://ift.tt/2eZc1ad

[freedom-for-orcas]

CA140B is a cutie™

[freedom-for-orcas]

“Photo by (@lindbladexp): Killer whale versus penguin spotted by (@gahooley) in Antarctica. See expedition photos @lindbladexp👈” by @awesome.photographers on Instagram http://ift.tt/1ppdKFm

[freedom-for-orcas]

Tangential to the “necessity” of cetaceans at places like Seaworld for ‘good reasons’- The amount of park supporters I see who seem to have given up on the ocean and instead focus on aquariua/marine parks as some kind of hope for the future, is bad. That is absolutely not the attitude that anyone should be taking away from those places.

[freedom-for-orcas]

T123A Stanley

[freedom-for-orcas]

4/20/17 - 49-year old male CA20 at the gray whale kill in Monterey Bay.

Photos by Pat M. Hathaway [x]

[freedom-for-orcas]

Orca pod sighting by Small taste of adventure 

[freedom-for-orcas]

Let’s get this spread around and help OrcaSound out! At this year’s Ways of Whales, their research was discussed, as well as the difficulties with maintaining hydrophones - and their hopes for broadening the scope and purpose of the system in the future. (video here if you’re interested) Here’s our chance to help them fund these efforts. An app would be a great way to make this system more accessible. Even if you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this post. The more interest and eyes on this, the better. Thanks!  

[freedom-for-orcas]

A common misconception is that a cetacean’s mouth isn’t connected to its respiratory system. It’s a logical assumption considering that virtually all breathing and vocalizations are localized to the blow hole. In fact during normal situations the respiratory and digestive tracts are indeed completely separate. However dolphins can actually voluntarily shift their larynx to breath through the mouth if necessary. This rare occurrence has been noted in animals waking up from incubation and in one wild hector’s dolphin. While an animal shifting its larynx has only been documented a handful of times, it’s hypothesized to be rather common. The larynx in its normal position goes around the esophagus, which can be an issue when swallowing large fish. Thus it can be helpful to temporarily shift the larynx out of the way in order to swallow a meal. 

In the second and third of these two videos, two orcas at SeaWorld Kamagawa seem to be displaying a very interesting “roar” vocalization out of their mouthes. If that’s really what’s going on here, this is a very rare behavior, maybe never before documented. It is likely completely voluntary and while abnormal, there is no reason to indicate it is neurotic or suggestive of poor welfare. 

[freedom-for-orcas]

A mammal-eating orca off the coast of South Africa.

[freedom-for-orcas]

T93

He’s the oldest male orca I’ve seen in person. He’s estimated to have been born in 1963, which would make him 54 this year!

[freedom-for-orcas]

Punta Norte Marzo 2017 Valen (en Punta Norte)