A Killer Whale Study

A Killer Whale Study Killer Whales The orca, or the killer, whale is one of the most well-known and most majestic of the sea. Belonging to the dolphin family, the killer whale is found all over the worlds oceans and has been the object of study by many animal researchers over the past few decades. Killer whales are unique mammals in the ways that they live, for example, feeding and migration, also the mother-child relationship. Apart from being such an interesting animal, they are currently endangered. When most people think of killer whales, Shamu comes to mind; the first killer whale to successfully thrive in captivity, also the iconic symbol of the SeaWorld parks. Since the killer whales early notoriety with SeaWorld, the development of better researching techniques, such as satellite tagging, have become important in understanding many aspect of the species, as well as learning how to protect them. Killer whales are usually found in pods, which are large groups that can range anywhere from ten to eighty members. Interestingly enough, each pod is a unique family consisting of blood related whales. When a calf is born into a pod, the mother cares for it closely for many calves die when they are very young from illness, accidents, or even predators such as large sharks (Carwardine, 4). If the calf survives its early years, it will remain in the pod for the rest of its life. Each pod has its own special language, or dialect in the believed and complex way of communication among other killer whales, and all members of the pod are similar in appearance, even though no two orcas look exactly alike (Carwardine, 4). Another distinguishing feature of killer whales is their Dorsal fin. Male killer whales have a huge dorsal fin that can grow up to six feet, females, however, have a much smaller and more curved dorsal fin (Carwardine, 4). In comparison to their large fins, adult orcas whale s can weigh from three to eleven tons, and male orcas grow to an average length of twenty-three to twenty-seven feet but can reach lengths of up to thirty-two feet, and female orcas average between twenty and twenty-two feet (Killer Whale, National Parks Conservation Association). Pods of killer whales have been recorded in virtually all oceans and major seas and from all open-water habitat zones (Dahlheim et al., 1981). Although they have been spotted all over, their primary habitat is in the freezing cold waters of the polar regions, for example the Arctic and Antarctic (Carwardine, 4). Another characteristic of killer whales and all other members of the cetaceansthe group of animals that consists of whales, dolphins, and porpoisesis that they only receive one set of a hundred teeth that are pointed and sharp for catching and tearing prey (Carwardine, 4). The killer whale appears to be an opportunistic feeder; diet may vary from one region to the next, among age and sex classes, and within years (Kirkevold and Lockard, 47). The unusual list of prey includes many types of fish, birds, other small cetaceans, sea lions, seals, electric rays, and outrageously even blue whales, great white sharks, as well as other killer whales (Kirkevold and Lockard, 47). Killer whales are known to work together while hunting, developing special techniques and skills for different foods that they hunt. In the Antarctic, they work together by tipping sleeping seals and penguins from ice floes into the waiting mouths of other members of the pod (Carwardine, 27). One of the most interestin g methods of hunting prey is used by killer whales off the coast of Argentina on the Punta Norte beaches, where several pods have learned how to catch young elephant seals and sea lion pups in the shallows (Carwardine, 28). The whales survey the beaches for their target and once they have found a victim easy enough for them to catch, they rush toward the beach so fast that they surge out of the water and onto the beach, leaving their prey no time to escape (Carwardine, 29). Most whales and dolphins are in serious trouble when they strand like this, but the killer whales of Punta Norte grab their prey and then wriggle back into the sea (Carwardine, 30). Other methods of finding food underwater is using Echolocation, where the whales make special clicking sounds and listen for the echoes that bounce back (Carwardine, 31). In 1997, possibly one of the most impressive and incredible accounts of an orca whales choice in food was when two whales off the coast of Californias Farallon Islands attacked and killed a great white shark. Peter Pyle, a biologist who studied the birds and sharks of the Farallon area, was the expert on hand when the strange event unfolded (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Pyle recalled seeing two whales that were later identified as belonging to an L.A. pod, attacking the shark. After about five minutes, the liver had been ripped out of the shark and was tastefully being enjoyed by the whales as the carcass of the dead shark sank (Turner, Showdown at Sea). The incident was beyond odd. No oneanywherehad ever recorded seeing a killer whale attack a great white. And then something even stranger happened: The sharks of the Farallones vanished (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Many researchers have tried to understand why the killer whales had targeted the shark as prey, and most have concluded that the behavior is pretty much unique to the L.A. pod, a cetacean gang so strange a better moniker might be the Odd Pod (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Since then, researchers have studied the relationship between killer whales and sharks and have come to find that even though humans fear the great white shark as the ultimate predator, sharks may perceive their rank differently (Turner, Showdown at Sea). Despite the many locations of killer whales, the population has been declining over the past two decades. The surprising element that is mostly to blame for the decline in whale numbers is found in their food supply. For example, schools of fish that are commonly preyed upon by orcas have been minimized due to factors, including degradation of spawning habitat, reduced ocean survival, and over-fishing (Ford et al., 97). Temporary closures of fisheries to protect the whales livelihood became an option, until it became a major problem with the declining fishing industry. Another startling discovery posing a huge threat to the killer whales was finding dangerously high levels of PCBs and other contaminants in their blubber, a high enough level to rank them as one of the worlds most polluted cetacean populations (Ford et al. 98). As top-level predators in the food web, killer whales ingest a variety of human-made industrial pollutants through their diet (Ford et al., 98). The dangerous p ollutants that pour into the sea every day from factories, farmland and towns threaten the health of the whales and shorten the life-span and leave them more susceptible to disease. Fortunately, PCBs are no longer produced in North America, but the security of the stored PCBs is questionable, and it seems likely that the pollutants will continue to seep into the whales habitat for years to come unless serious international efforts are made to eliminate them (Ford et al., 99). Although pollution and deterioration of food sources are key factors in the decline of killer whale populations, there are still other small factors, such as, incidents where whales are harmed or killed by boat propellers and even oil spills. The protection of these animals is necessary for their current status is endangered in some areas such as off the coasts of North America, and threatened in others. There are many aspects that make the killer whale such a defining beauty of the sea. First, their high intelligence level and well developed systems of communication set them apart from many animals. Then the culture they express commonly with family pods and strategized group hunting classifies them as a much more advanced species. Finally, the evolutionary domination of the seas as a high ranked animal of the food pyramid only remarks them as an incredible animal. There are many different species of the sea with many different characteristics that make them interesting, but none are as truly amazing as the killer whale. With laws in place to further protect the populations of killer whales many hope to see them prosper and live on for many centuries to come.

Tactical Medicine in EMS today Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tactical Medicine in EMS today - Term Paper Example actical medicine is focused and highly discerning endeavor that necessitates intensive training, control, regulation and distinctive association with law enforcement. Tactical medicine encompasses the principal accountability of giving medical care to the SWAT team, although their duties extend far ahead of such undertakings. The present article observes the progression and current tactical medical beliefs and methods engaged by military and LEAs specifically SWAT teams (Morrissey, 2013). The concept of tactical medicine is in existence since the dawn of medicine and combats. In early battles the treatment was given only to the royal individuals like Kings and other important people. Although outcomes were not significantly promising and caused mortality at times or else the victim suffered with the serious infections which may cause death. Over the centuries, advances in tools, techniques and medical facilities drastically enhanced the understanding towards injury management (Morrissey, 2013). Conflicts witnessed in the last decade displayed controlling extremity hemorrhage as well as aggressive airway management, resulting in a significant decline or drop in casualty fatality rate (CFR), the percentage of individuals who got injured in the battle and expire. A closer examination of CFR highlights the fact that a remarkable reduction in fatality occurred after 2004. The CFR for World War II was recorded as 19.1 percent, in Vietnam War it was recorded to be 15.8 percent while in Iraq/ Afghanistan conflicts CFR was recorded to be 9.4 percent. However, earlier than 2004, a considerable percentage of deaths of American soldiers during the Global War of Terror (GWOT) involved numerous kinds of injuries such as hemorrhage from extremity injure; junctional hemorrhage involving high traumatic amputation; gunshot injury to the abdomen resulting in non-compressible hemorrhage; airway problems and tension pneumothorax (Morrissey, 2013). Introduction of tactical medics

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Globalization and Music - Research Paper Example In numerous regions across the world, the first few decades of the 20th century marked the immense movement of music across the world. One notable group that profited from the upsurge of technological innovation was the Beatles whose performance was the first to be satellite broadcast all over the world. The Beatles had also travelled all over the world and had made records in different languages. Arguably, the Beatles in many ways represented the first globalization of music and entertainment. This group had travelled to countries in Asia and Europe where they had performances. Another example is that of Bob Marley who became an internationally renowned music star in the 1970’s (Achterberg et al. 5). This wave of world music is as a result of the numerous waves of distribution, exchange, appropriation and movement. Notably, the changes in technology have also brought about the evolution of music through the advent of novel hybrid styles of music. These technologies are almost in all regions of the world and have allowed musicians and producers to reproduce music that appeals to all.

The Next five years Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

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Public Perception of Female Offenders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Public Perception of Female Offenders - Essay Example It tries to focus on the differences of opinion amongst male and female respondents. They are a very small majority, only 14% of the total convicted and most of them are in the prison for a very short term. Usually their offences are trivial; but this does not mean that there are no serious offenders. Sometimes imprisonment begins as early as at 16. Roughly almost half of the accused women get convicted eventually. There had been a steady increase in the numbers of female offenders in Scotland in recent years thought compared to the raise in overall numbers, the situation is improving. There had been unfortunate incidents like suicide plaguing the prisons for sometime now. The suicide in 1997, of a convicted female prisoner in HM Institution Cornton Vale, seventh of its kind, focussed the public mind slightly more on the plight of female prisoners. The recent deaths, all by hanging are given below: This is apart from incidents of unsuccessful self-harming which would have been fatal, but for the quick prison staff intervention. Many studies have emerged pointing out the importance of understanding social, personal, psychological backgrounds, range and availability of pre and post-sentence community disposals, further help and support, appropriate custodial arrangements and the improvement on all these measures. Women who offend have some kind of unfortunate background and mostly have a cause too. No doubt, women who commit heinous crimes cannot be permitted to take into streets and have to be convicted. But most of the offenders would have committed petty crimes and imprisoning them will have disastrous effects on their families, children and dependents. They could be mothers, less educated school dropouts without work beyond home. They could be facing accommodation problems and might have been victims of some kind of abuse. Also they could be drug addicts, binge drinkers, pro stitutes or going through psychological distress. Usually they come from unsupportive and chaotic households. It is important to know more about this unfortunate segment of the society and compare the research with real statistics. It is important that Scottish executive claims that the number of female offenders has dropped in recent years. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/law/wosw-09.asp METHODS AND DESIGN This report is from the male and female perspective and apart from this, also answers three important questions. It presents the necessary charts in support of the research done. The target group number is 76 and research was conducted by six researchers with the aid of appropriate questionnaire, especially for the opinion difference between the genders. It is a cross-sectional survey design with the questionnaire support as primary method of