WHALE NAMES MONDAY
“What is the English translation of the killer whale/orca’s scientific name?”
Answer: The latin name for the orca or killer whale is Orcinus orca, which means ‘of the kingdom of the dead’ or ‘belonging to Orcus’ - the Roman god of the underworld. This name, along with killer whale, comes from their fierce reputation as a hunter. Sailors used to call them ‘whale killers’ or ‘Ballena asesina’ (assassin whale), which over time was converted to ‘killer whale’. Some people still prefer this name, while others prefer to call them orcas, but as you can see, they basically have the same meaning. There are also many tribal names for the killer whale/orca, including Skana and Keet, among others. If you are looking for ways to teach your children about our local Southern Residents during school closures, please check out the curriculum on our website created by Bainbridge Island School District. http://www.orcanetwork.org/Main/index.php?categories_file=BISD%20K5%20Orca%20Curriculum WHALE NAMES TUESDAY
“These whales were once called ‘devilfish’ because of their tendency to attack whaling boats to defend their calves.”
Answer: Gray whales were very heavily hunted in the North Pacific and particularly in their breeding and birthing lagoons in Baja Mexico. Whalers would enter the lagoons to harpoon the young calves, and the protective mothers would then attack the small boats. Today, they have gone from ‘devilfish’ to gentle giants. Gray whales by nature are very curious, gentle and friendly and a small percentage of them have become ‘amistosas’ or ‘friendlies’ in the protected lagoons of Baja. They will approach small boats, sometimes even lifting their young calves up to waiting hands eager to make contact. Each winter Orca Network leads a group to Laguna San Ignacio to see the gray whales of Baja. For more information, contact [email protected]. For general information about gray whales: https://www.acsonline.org/gray-whale; https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/gray-whale/ WHALE NAMES WEDNESDAY
“Who was the minke whale named after?”
Answer: Minke whales were jokingly named after a Norwegian novice whaler named Meincke who mistook a minke for a blue whale. The scientific name for minke whales is Balaenoptera acutorostrata which means pointed nose winged whale.
Here in the Salish Sea we have a small population of resident minke whales who feed particularly around the San Juan Islands during the summer months. For more information about minke whales, see https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/common-minke-whale/; https://www.acsonline.org/minke-whale; www.northeastpacificminke.org WHALE NAMES THURSDAY
What is the English translation of the humpback whale’s scientific name – Megaptera novaeangliae?
Answer: Megaptera novaeangliae translates to “big winged New Englander” referring to their long pectoral fins and the fact that humpback whales were first described in New England in the 1700s. The pectoral fins of humpback whales are nearly 1/3 the length of the body and range in color from all black to all white and everything in between. There are many possible uses for these long fins including communication and maneuverability. Recent research has shown humpbacks even using their pectoral fins to herd fish toward their mouths. For more information on humpback whales, see: https://www.acsonline.org/humpback-whale http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/keywords/humpback-whale WHALE NAMES FRIDAY
“Why are the Transient (mammal-eating) orcas in the Salish Sea referred to as “Bigg’s Killer Whales”?
PHOTO: Amanda Colbert
Answer: Dr. Michael A. Bigg was a Canadian marine biologist who is recognized as the founder of modern research on killer whales. With his colleagues, he developed new techniques for studying killer whales and conducted the first population census of the animals. Recognizing that there were two types of orca that we utilizing the Salish Sea, feeding off of different resources, one group was called “Resident” for their frequency and the other “Transient” for their infrequency. A lot has changed since the 1970’s and now the Transient orcas are seen with more regularity than the Resident orcas. In looking to get rid of the implication behind the term “Transient”, it is now widely accepted that these are Bigg’s Killer Whales, named after Michael Bigg, himself.