Tuesday, February 22, 2011

J1/Ruffles

Ruffles / J1

The 60 year old killer whale Ruffles/J1 was last seen on Novermber 21st, 2010. He would travel with Granny/J2 (100 years old) who has been seen several times since without Ruffles. Male longevity, typically is less than females, averaging about 29 years, some live well into their 40s and up 50-60 years of age. The average lifespan for females is about 50 years, however some may reach 80-90 years of age (Ford et. al. 2000).

King5

Ford, K.B., Ellis, G.M., Balcomb, K.C. (2000) Killer Whales: The natural History and genealogy of Orcinus orca in British Columbia and Washington. UBC Press p.22

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Offshore Killer Whales eating Sleeper Sharks

Offshore Killer Whale Teeth

John Ford and colleagues were observing the whales, they noticed them engaging in feeding behaviour. Immediately following this they discovered chunks of pink meat on the water’s surface which upon genetic analysis turned out to be the meat of at least 16 different Pacific sleeper sharks (Somniosus pacificus).

Link