Category Archives: Whales and Dolphins
Young Orca Tries to Communicate
Orcas breaching. Poetry in motion, don't you think?
This post is cross posted here with permission from our sister site bleeding earth. I hope you will enjoy it. I found this young Orca to be truly amazing.
Lots of older people like me begin to think they have seen it all and know the basic fundamentals of everything. That is why we become ‘stuck in our ways.’ That means we don’t adapt and accept new things.
The problem with getting ‘stuck in our ways’ is we miss out on a lot of things life has to offer and the wonders that are still out there to discover. It is like the mind is not only closed, it has rusted shut and that is sad.
My parents taught me at a very young age to never think in generalities. Plus my mother gave birth to me in the ‘Show Me’ State of Missouri. Maybe that guaranteed I would be curious about the things around me throughout my life.
However, I tend to think another thing also made me understand to expect the unexpected. That thing was being around, living with, observing, learning about and loving animals of all kinds. Because once you have been around a various group of animals you will find they do truly amazing things and you can never really predict what is coming next.
I had the good fortune of living on a beach in Southern California for twenty plus years. Those years gave me ample time to observe both Dolphins and Whales. I saw fewer whales of course, but during their normal migration they were plentiful. There is even a group of the California Gray Whales that stays off the coast Of California year round. Needless to say, I became entranced with whales and Dolphins.
Anyway to get to today’s video. This video is of a young Orca or Killer Whale doing something truly unusual and in my view, spectacular.
Before we get to the video, let’s learn a bit about this animal. First off, Orcas are not whales, they are Dolphins.
From Wikipedia;
The killer whale (Orcinus orca), commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic andAntarctic regions to tropical seas. Killer whales as a species have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as sea lions, seals, walruses and even largewhales. Killer whales are regarded as apex predators, lacking natural predators and preying on even large sharks.
The video is a young Orca named Luna. He lost his family and began trying o communicate with people In many different ways. The video shows one of the more novel of his attempts to communicate.
Anyone who says animals of all kinds don’t talk is just crazy. They talk in a language we don’t understand, but they do talk. They talk to each other and to their young, they have regional dialects and accents and they even have certain ‘words or phrases’ that seem to be specific to one pod or family.
Watching Luna trying to talk to humans by imitating the boat’s motor is just mind-blowing. This young Orca was trying to make friends and receive guidance. It is likely he was very lonely after the loss of his family. I find that very sad.
Imagine what we could learn about our planet and particularly its oceans if we could learn to communicate with other mammals. I bet one of the first things we would learn is we are the ones ruining the environment for all the rest and we aren’t as smart or different as we think we are.
Be sure to introduce any older people you know who are ‘stuck in their ways’ to things like the wonder of the Orca. Perhaps they will see losing your curiosity about life leaves you without knowledge of some of the best parts of the life you share with the rest of the world.
How sad is it that this poor animal cannot communicate with humans? I hope someday whales, dolphins and other animals will be able to talk to us. Lets learn their languages and have conversations, okay?
Dolphin and Cat Make Friends
I have seen a lot of animal friendships and interactions that many people would think were strange. However, I learned a long time ago to never underestimate the ability of different species of animals to make friends with one another. In fact, many animals make cross species friendships.
However, I have to admit I was very surprised to see the video below of a dolphin and a domestic pet cat who seem to really enjoy one another. The first comment I heard about this video was ’its the fish smell the cat is attracted to.’
But I really don’t think that at all explains this odd friendship. Please note the way the cat reaches out to pull the dolphin back. This is what a pet cat does when they want more petting. If they feel you are leaving too soon and haven’t quite finished the petting or scratching they will reach their paw out and attempt to pull your hand back to them.
Also note the way the cat head butts the dolphin. This is another sure indication that the cat wants more attention from the object of that head butt.
Another thing that struck me was the way the dolphins reacted when the cat didn’t like being splashed. They come up much more carefully to avoid getting their splashing on the little cat.
The cat is quite clearly using the glands in the sides of his mouth to mark the dolphin as his property and the dolphin is quite clearly trying to pet and love the cat. All and all I would have to say this astonishing video does show a domestic cat and a dolphin who want to be good buddies because they like each other. Altogether amazing and very inspiring.
Now if we could just get humans to overlook differences in each other like that our world would be a far better place.
Enjoy the video!
Dolphins Help Save Dog in Florida
Doberman dog with natural ears.
An 11 year old Doberman named Turbo lives in Florida. Of course when Turbo went missing late on a Sunday night, his owners were very worried. After all the dog isn’t exactly a spring chicken. Naturally, Turbo’s guardians went looking for him.
The next morning, Turbo was found. He had been stranded in shallow water and was found by a woman who was alerted to the dogs predicament by the persistent splashing of dolphins who led her to the dog after they got her attention.
From NBC-2;
Dolphins got a neighbor’s attention – alerting them to a stranded pooch in shallow water.
“If he had to tread water all night long, I know he wouldn’t have been able to,” Burnett said.
The neighbor jumped in the water after calling 9-1-1 and got Turbo out. But she wasn’t home Wednesday when we tried reaching her.
While Turbo has been reunited with his family, Burnett says she doesn’t expect him to get too close to the water any time soon.
The video below is also from NBC-2.
Quite an adventure for Turbo. Thanks are due to the dolphins who brought attention to his plight. They are truly the life savers of the oceans. Lets hope other dogs in Florida are as lucky as Turbo.