#captive orcas

can i ask you to infodump about any type of marine animal?

sincerely,

@post-waterer-offical

Ofc! @post-waterer-offical

hope you like it! ORCAS

uhhh

scientific name and meaning : orcinus orca which just sounds rlly funny to me. The word Orcinus means of the underworld or belonging to the kingdom of the dead, and orca means a type of whale or a large bellied pot

Male and Female orca anatomy:

yes the diagram includes their reproductive parts, but it’s for SCIENCE OKAY???

uhhh yeah. Fun facts about orca anatomy is that there’s an organ on their forehead made of fat and connective tissues that they use for echolocation. And it’s called the melon.

lifespan : male orcas can live from anywhere around 30 year to around 90 years, while females usually live to about 50 years but can live up to 90 years

habitat : orcas inhabit all of our planets oceans from the tropics to the Arctic, but they are found mostly near cold and coastal waters in the Pacific Northwest and around norway

diet:

Fish

marine mammals (dolphins seals and sometimes other whales)

squid

seabirds

sharks

predators: since orcas are apex predators at the top of the food chain, they do not have any predators!

size and weight: while male orcas can reach up to 9.8 metres (32 ft) and 10,000kg(22,000lbs) females are typically smaller getting to a size of 8.5 metres (28ft) and weighing about 7,500 kg ( 16,500lbs)

orcas in captivity:

It is common for places like SeaWorld (which I don’t support at all) to keep orcas in captivity(SeaWorld in Australia’s Gold Coast is not connected to or related to US SeaWorld in any way, since they are run by separate companies), they do not thrive in these environments, health issues and being under extreme stress is not good for any marine animal, but as always you should do your own research, as there are many documentaries and books on SeaWorlds orcas. Though in 2016 SeaWorld stopped their orca breeding program

Endless circles.

Loops,

          and loops,

                            and loops.

I can’t find my family.

I call to them, swim in every direction until I exhaust myself

But every time I bump into an invisible barrier

And find myself right where I started.

I think I can hear them, but they sound more like me than them.

I would recognize their calls anywhere.

It’s not them,

But I try anyway.

I still have hope.

More loops, more loops.

Then the two leggeds, who walk above

They call me to the surface again

And again

                And again.

The two leggeds put their flat fins on my back

And if I carry them,

And slap the hard shore with my fins

And shake my fin at the mass of noise

They give me fish.

               I remember fish, I think.

Silvery things, that moved. Did they move? My fish don’t move.

Maybe not, then.

No, wait.

They did.

My mother, she used to chase them. We did, together.

More than my mother. There were others. 

I remember their calls.

I remember when I could swim without hitting the invisible wall.

Where are they?

Hunting fish without me?

                                                  I hope so.

More loops, more loops.

I prefer it under water.

From there, the noise is muffled, almost tolerable.

But the two leggeds, they need me

Up above.

Up there, the noise is deafening.

It never stops.

Not until the sky turns dark and the two leggeds leave me

With the invisible walls.

I feel like I’m moving,

I know I am.

But then why aren’t I going anywhere?

More loops, more loops.

I follow the voice.

I recognize it.

Do they know that I know?

I can tell them apart.

Not at first,

All two leggeds looked the same then.

But it’s been a long time since.

Since when?

It’s hard to remember now.

But the feeling, it stays with me.

Cold water, brushing through my fins

Other black and white bodies, dancing with mine

Fish, fish everywhere.

And then I saw the shadow above

That blocked out the light.

Thrashing, fighting

Chasing

             ..

                Exhaustion.

Then there was no one to answer my call.

            I wonder how many moons I’ve watched cross the sky

                                                      Since I last saw my mother?

Many, I think.

                   I’m sick of loops.

             I’m sick of the noise.

    I’m sick of the walls.

And I’m sick of that voice.

The two legged didn’t give me any fish

But I did what she asked.

What did I do wrong?

She should have given me a fish.

            I want a fish.

I don’t feel like doing loops anymore.

The pain above me, it aches.

I wish I knew why it ached.

Something is not how it should be.

My eyes burn, my sight is blurry.

Was it always so blurry?

I can’t move anymore.

I wish I could tell them,

But I haven’t seen the two leggeds in a very long time.

They’re not at all. If anyone hasn’t already, I’d suggest you watch Blackfish. It’s honestly devastating. Put a lot more in mind even when I was already against orcas in captivity.

They’re the apex predators of the sea and in all honesty should never be in captivity. Ever.

Imagine being ripped from your family at a young age and forced to perform everyday until you pass. That doesn’t sound like a very good life does it?

Orcas are a lot more human-like in certain aspects than most realize. They stay in pods, which is basically their family, for their entire life. They travel hundreds of kilometers a day, and that’s why their dorsal fins rarely collapse out in the wild.

The captives for the Southern Resident Community are complete!! Slowly starting on Northern Residents now! Check the database out here!

These are the tanks at SeaWorld San Diego that hold Corky 2, Ulises, Orkid, Keet, Shouka, Nakai, Ikaika, Kalia, Makani, and Amaya. 

This is the Show Pool (A Pool) It is 35 Ft. Deep, 170 Ft. Long, 80 Ft. Wide and holds 2.6-2.7 million gallons of water.  It is the largest orca tank at the park. 

This is Pool B. It is 15 Ft Deep, 118 Ft Long, 75 Ft Wide, and holds 900,000 gallons of water.

This is Pool C. It is 15 Ft Deep, 118 Ft Long, 75 Ft Wide, and holds 940,000 Gallons of water.  

This is the Med Pool (Pool D). It is 9 Ft Deep, 53 Ft Long, 25 Ft Wide, and holds 80,000 Gallons of water.  It is by far the smallest orca tank at the park. 

This is the Underwater Viewing Area (Pool F). It is 30 Ft Deep, 125 Ft Long, 75 Ft Wide, and holds 700,000 Gallons of water. It is the second largest orca tank at the park. 

Now, why did I go through the dimensions of all the orca tanks at the San Diego Park? Well, I am (through my next few posts) going to show the size relations to the tanks of all the parks that hold orcas to show just how small of tanks they have. While 170ft by 80ft may seem like a large area for an orca, it’s not. The Southern Resident Killer Whales travel for 75 miles on average in one day. For a San Diego orca to reach as many miles, they would have to lap the Show Pool  2,200 times.