Comments on: Dorsal Fin Collapse http://slapbackguitar.com/dorsal-fin-collapse/ Sound = Art Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:47:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Rachel Wilkes http://slapbackguitar.com/dorsal-fin-collapse/comment-page-1/#comment-96 Rachel Wilkes Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:31:34 +0000 http://slapbackguitar.com/?p=200#comment-96 I'm with you on not keeping orcas/killer whales in captivity. Sadly, the whales that are currently in captivity are unlikely to be successfully reintroduced to the wild. Keiko's release (he was the whale from "Free Willy") was not particularly successful. He was unable to reintegrate into any new pods, and he eventually died from pneumonia after a year of continuing to be fed by humans in an isolated Norwegian bay. There's a pretty decent explanation for why a high percentage (as high as 90%) of captive male orcas develop collapsed dorsal fins. The most plausible explanation is that the fins are designed to stand straight under circumstances of frequent uniform pressure. The uniform pressure of deep water against all surfaces of the fin keeps it in its original position. Captive whales are in shallow pools and spend a fair amount of time close to the water's surface. Over time, gravity takes over, and the cartilage becomes weak and collapses. This site discusses several theories and sources the information: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Wild-Animals-705/Orca-Killer-Whales.htm Something I found curious though was the comments of those who released Keiko into the wild: "We have ... learned that we were wrong about some things. We thought Keiko’s signature dorsal fin, flopped to the side, was the result of captivity, until we found wild North Atlantic whales with the same fin. It remains to me the emblem of how little we know and how arrogant are our attitudes to think we have nature figured out. Perhaps more than anything, I have learned from Keiko that we know so very little about the wild sea and the dynamics that keep it healthy." From: http://www.oceanfutures.org/features/2003/dispatch_12_16_03_keiko.php I’m with you on not keeping orcas/killer whales in captivity. Sadly, the whales that are currently in captivity are unlikely to be successfully reintroduced to the wild. Keiko’s release (he was the whale from “Free Willy”) was not particularly successful. He was unable to reintegrate into any new pods, and he eventually died from pneumonia after a year of continuing to be fed by humans in an isolated Norwegian bay.

There’s a pretty decent explanation for why a high percentage (as high as 90%) of captive male orcas develop collapsed dorsal fins. The most plausible explanation is that the fins are designed to stand straight under circumstances of frequent uniform pressure. The uniform pressure of deep water against all surfaces of the fin keeps it in its original position. Captive whales are in shallow pools and spend a fair amount of time close to the water’s surface. Over time, gravity takes over, and the cartilage becomes weak and collapses. This site discusses several theories and sources the information: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Wild-Animals-705/Orca-Killer-Whales.htm

Something I found curious though was the comments of those who released Keiko into the wild: “We have … learned that we were wrong about some things. We thought Keiko’s signature dorsal fin, flopped to the side, was the result of captivity, until we found wild North Atlantic whales with the same fin. It remains to me the emblem of how little we know and how arrogant are our attitudes to think we have nature figured out. Perhaps more than anything, I have learned from Keiko that we know so very little about the wild sea and the dynamics that keep it healthy.” From: http://www.oceanfutures.org/features/2003/dispatch_12_16_03_keiko.php

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