Orca: Wolves of the sea

Orcas are apex predators in the oceans around the world. They live in large families called pods, and calves often grow up staying with their whole family for their whole lives. The young adult females raise the next generation of orcas, and the males go off to mate but always return to their moms and extended families.

Orcas live in all oceans of the world and are intelligent, super-bright, and prominent members of the dolphin family.

They experience emotions as humans do and, in the wild, have been known to mourn their deceased pod members, as shown in the famous case of J35, a female orca who held on to her stillborn calf for 17 days.

Female orcas can weigh up to 3,000-6,000 lbs, and male orcas can weigh up to 8,800 lbs. Different orca subtypes eat different things. Some eat seals, sharks, and other dolphins, while others eat Salmon.

The southern resident orcas eat salmon, which they have to be able to share with other pod members if they find a large enough catch.

Unfortunately, there are damns built up that keep the salmon from heading to where they were born before heading out to sea.

This means the Southern Residents' pods cannot get the food sources to feed themselves and their pod members.

If the dams are removed, the orcas will need more food to survive. They feed their pods, but it's more complex.

Many people oppose removing the dams because of the security they provide. While this is true, there needs to be more salmon for human fishermen to feed fish, such as Orcas and otters, or for animals.

There are plenty of ways to help orcas in the wild, not just in Washington state but in many other places as well.

This list is more geared toward Washington Residents.

1. Reduce plastic waste

2. signing letters and petitions

3. support local organizations

4. be whale aware while Whale watching expeditions

5. choose your fish, and do not choose chinook salmon, the main diet of the resident orcas. Also, could you make sure the products are labeled Salmon safe?

https://www.visitsanjuans.com/how-you-can-help-southern-resident-orcas

Orcas are often given the nickname "The Wolves of the Sea " because they live in pods similar to wolves and hunt in groups of 25 or more, which Orcas also do.

Despite being very different species, they all do similar behaviors, but they are both mammals.

Orcas are amazing animals, but humans have taken advantage of this in more ways than one, and they are more negative than positive.

Orcas have been caught in the wild and forced to live in concrete tanks, only being fed frozen fish. The Marine Mammal industry is full of abuse and mistreatment of many different animals, not just orcas or bottlenose dolphins.

The industry started in the 1960s when people realized that orcas and dolphins could be caught and kept in captivity for entertainment. It has since expanded to other countries, such as China and Russia.

The industry is slowly shrinking in America because of attacks on trainers and other caretakers by animals like orcas and other large mammals.

The animals often require medication to stay sane in captivity, and they develop highly obsessive behaviors as they usually don't receive proper enrichment.

Times are changing in the US. Places like Seaworld have stopped their breeding program, and the orcas in their program are the last to be in captivity in the US. Once they die out, they will no longer contain orcas at Seaworld.

Orcas are beautiful creatures if you want to see them.

Don't support marine parks. Instead, go on a vacation or an expedition and help the wild orcas by whale watching.