Bigg’s / Transient (marine mammal eating) killer whales / orca
***SARA Transient killer whale recovery strategy . Table 1 on pages 10 to 12 rates the threats to transients.
***NEW Bigg's Killer Whale. Click this link and then click blue box on upper right "Download full text PDF". "Photo-identification Catalogue, Population Status, and Distribution of Bigg’s Killer Whales known from Coastal Waters of British Columbia, Canada": In addition to enabling the IDs of the whales, the publication reports on the population size and distribution.
Includes: "A total of 206 mature individuals that were alive in 2018 were encountered at least once since 2014 and were documented during at least seven years or 11 or more encounters during the study period. Their offspring and other inferred maternally related kin include an additional 143 individuals. This population subset of 349 individuals has grown at an observed average annual rate of 4.1% since 2012 due to relatively low mortality and the birth of over 100 calves during this time period. Identification images of the dorsal fins, saddle patches, and eyepatches of all of these individuals as well as calves born to date in 2019 are provided. Details on the birth years, sex, maternal ancestry, social cohesion, and distribution of these individuals are also provided, when known."
See “Transients” at top of page and click “Coastal” http://www.bckillerwhales.com/
Summary “What’s the Bigg’s Deal” https://themarinedetective.com/2013/04/03/whats-the-biggs-deal/
American Cetacean Society; Killer Whale: The Top, Top Predator.
“Information in Support of the Identification of Critical Habitat for Transient Killer Whales (Oricinus orca) off the West Coast of Canada” http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/ResDocs-DocRech/2012/2012_155-eng.html
Blog on the move to have the speciation of B.C.'s mammal-hunting killer whales solidified by naming them in honour of the late and oh-so-great Dr. Michael Bigg. The mammal-eaters diverged from other killer whales species some 700,000 years ago.
http://themarinedetective.com/2013/04/03/whats-the-biggs-deal/
Photo-identification Catalogue of Bigg’s (Transient) Killer Whales From Coastal Waters of British Columbia, Northern Washington, and Southeastern Alaska - J.R. Towers, G.M. Ellis, and J.K.B. Ford (Department of Fisheries and Oceans Cetacean Research Program)
SARA species profile. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page of possible further reports on the species.
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessment.
http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=606 -threats to Transients
Summary table for BC’s Killer Whale Populations. Put together by Jackie Hildering
BC Cetacean Sightings Network species information
Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in Southern Residents (Nov 2008). Could be true for more killer whale populations and cetaceans in general.
Vancouver Aquarium’s Wild Killer Whale Adoption Programme – good natural history
Center for Whale Research’s amazing photos of an attack of transient killer whales on a harbour seal and a Dall's porpoise.
National Geographic movie (53 minutes) on killer whales - residents and transients. Addresses the threats of reduced food supply and bioaccumulation. Realize that this may be a different transient killer whale population than that found in BC.
North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium's excellent fast facts; also click "research" and "killer whales" for very current research issues
Vancouver Aquarium page on the importance of identifying killer whales as individuals. Includes video.
How our attitudes to killer whales have changed over time (from the Vancouver Aquarium).
Chapters from Daniel Francis and Gil Hewlitt’s book “Operation Orca” that highlight human history with killer whales.
Voices of the Sea very cool website where you can hear the sounds of cetaceans, see the spectrogram of their sounds, see video clips and learn cool facts from experts! If you click on the orca and and "sound of the orca", Dr. John Ford will tell you about residents and transients from our area (Northern Vancouver Island).
BC’s Cetacean Sighting’s Network information - Click on "BC's Cetaceans" and then the image of the animal. www.wildwhales.org
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/species/species_killerWhale_NE_Pac_e.asp - DFO pages on threats and natural history. Good summary.
The back issues of the Wild Killer Whale Adoption Programmes publication "The Blackfish Sounder" .
DFO publication: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises of British Columbia, Canada - http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/241969.pdf
Enter the species name in the search field to get any AquaNews bulletins posted by the Vancouver Marine Sciences Centre
http://www.orcalab.org/about-orcas/index.htm - Orca Lab’s natural history of killer whales
http://www.geocities.com/theorcaocean/OrcasInCaptivity.html - orca in captivity Not a Canadian page
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/ - "Frontline's" discussion of orca in captivity. History of orca in captivity. Video footage of Japanese slaughter of bottlenose dolphins and orca.
http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/elsberry/marspec/mm_info.html - ecolocation/biosonar
http://www.dosits.org/gallery/intro.htm - click your species name to hear its sounds! and http://www.dosits.org/animals/intro.htm - study how marine mammals make sound and how sound effects them.
http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~ford/ - orca vocals; Dr. John Ford's webpage
http://www.stubbs-island.com/english/orca/index.html - Stubbs Island Whale Watching’s killer whale information
www.racerocks.com/racerock/marmam/mammals.htm and http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archivemammals.htm
- involvement of Lester B. Pearson School in a fantastic marine mammal project. Search the site at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/web/sitemap.htm
www.oceanlink.island.net - Bamfield Research Station’s detailed marine biology page search for your species.
Scientific paper on “Geographic variation in killer whales on humpback whales in the North Pacific.”