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Marisa and her best friend see Orca whales while fishing in Dyes Inlet. Marisa also thinks that she recognizes a baby whale.

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More details about her moms leaving is given throughout this chapter. Marisa reads a letter that her mom wrote her, but doesn't get any clues on why she left.

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Marisa went to get the mail but threw away a letter from her mom. Her dad finally stands up and tells Marisa that they need to work together.

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Marisa's teacher is teaching about the whales and how they are classified. Her teacher offers a volunteer opportunity for extra credit. Marisa doesn't sign up but immediately thinks of her mom during this classroom discussion.

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Lena signs Marisa up for the volunteer opportunity in class without asking Marisa first. She sees that her baby whale, Muncher is back in Dyes Inlet.

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Orca whales are classified by an alphanumeric code. The letter goes first and represents the pod affiliation, and the number is listed last and represents the individual (p.35).

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The scientists that research orca whales are called Cetologists (p. 37).

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Whales, dolphins and porpoises are collectively called cetaceans. A whale biologist therefore is often referred to as a cetologist.

Here are a few frequently asked questions. Try doing a search on in the internet for ' whale research careers' and ' whale biologist jobs ' to give you some ideas of what you may need in the way of skills.

If you are considering volunteering with the Orca Research Trust, be sure to check out the information and availability in our Volunteers section (under 'Help Us') and read all that information before contacting us.
How do I become a whale biologist and study orca?
You can choose two main paths - the academic path - where you study at university or similar and then take a job as a cetologist or you can being by volunteering and working your way into the job as you go. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The main thing to remember, no matter which method you choose is that you will be working long and hard hours for very little (if any) pay. The job of a cetologist might look very glamorous on the surface, but the reality is that you need to be dedicated and committed to hard work and the animals.
The Orca Research Trust STRONGLY disagrees with careers associated with cetaceans in captivity. Despite the clever marketing of the captivity industry we believe that there is no longer a role to be played by keeping these sentient beings in concrete tanks and we do not endorse people to seek work or volunteer positions with these facilities. What kind of university / college courses should I take to be a cetologist?
If you choose to follow the academic path to become a cetologist you will need a wide range of knowledge. Ideally this will start from when you are still in high school and progress through college and/or university. However, some adult students turn to being a cetologist after they have already completed another degree. Regardless, it is good to have a strong focus in science courses, including biology, chemistry, ecology, fish biology, zoology, and conservation courses. Having a strong computer science and mathematics background is important as well. Courses in statistics are critical to study in this field. It will take a minimum of four years to get your Bachelor of Science degree and 2 - 6 more years to get your Masters and/or further study for your Doctoral degree.

If your path leads you towards academic study it is still very important that you build up skills which you will need when you finally begin to do your own field and/or lab work. See the section on 'field based careers' for more information.
What kind of practical courses should I to do a 'field based' career as a cetologist?
It is important that you have skills that are of use to the volunteer organisations and cetacean researchers which may have positions available. These include, but are not limited to software skills (there are many good tutorials online to show you how to use products such as photo-editing, website editing, reference citation databases, databases in general, statistical programs and processing audio files). The importance of these computer skills cannot be over-emphasised enough.

Practical skills should include certification in boat handling (contact your local coastguard and yachting clubs - they often offer special course for students). Learn how to change a tire on a car, how to drive a stick-shift vehicle, take a defensive driving course, do a first-aid course and any other course you can find which adds to your usefulness. If you are not too concerned about going outside and doing 'field work' - perhaps consider doing a cooking course - you can offer to help out at the research base and feed those hungry researchers when they return from a long day out on the water.

Although volunteering positions are available in some locations with conservation groups and some cetacean biologists, be prepared that most now only take students who pay to be involved. This payment is typically used to keep the projects running, help with costs of research centres and towards rescuing animals. We do NOT endorse volunteering at aquariums or zoos, but if you have a wildlife rehabilitation centre which releases the animals back into the wild, this would be ideal.

To increase your chances of being accepted into one of these programs prepare a good CV (make sure you have done a spell check! And check for grammar and layout). Include a recent photograph of yourself and don't every lie about your skills or qualifications. It is better to be honest and explain that you wish to increase your skills than turn up and be dismissed because you can't complete a job.

The most important thing you can take with you to any job is a happy, cheerful and positive attitude. Be prepared to do the mundane work that no-one else wants to do and you will be surprised how people will notice and how far you can go! Good Luck out there!

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Whales, dolphins and porpoises are collectively called cetaceans. A whale biologist therefore is often referred to as a cetologist. Here are a few frequently asked questions. Try doing a search on in the internet for ' whale research careers' and ' whale biologist jobs ' to give you some ideas of what you may need in the way of skills.

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Marisa is feeling lonely due to her mother being gone. Since Lena signed Marisa up, she went to help with the whales for extra credit. Harris and Jesse get upset with Marisa because she makes it seem as if they wouldn't be much help.

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Lena shows Marisa that she really cares and won't give up on her. Marisa begins to walk home by the beach, but Grace stops her and tells Marisa that she must pay five dollars to walk along the beach.

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Marisa finally opens up to her dad and shares how she's feeling. Her dad also shares that her mother made him promise never to ask about her past. Marisa's dad tells Marisa what he knows about her mothers past. Marisa goes out on the water with the group to watch the whales.

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While out on the water, Marisa and the group notice that the whales are trying to leave the inlet. Marisa bikes to the police station to tell them to announce for all boats to clear the passage while the whales pass. After the announcement, a boat cuts the whales off and they don't make it out.

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Marisa goes out on the boat with Tal and he asks about her mom. Marisa feels uncomfortable and tells him that she is traveling right now. Marisa and Tal notice that Harris and Jesse are in the water with a canoe flipped over and with no life jackets. They get them to the boat safely and take them to the hospital.

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Harris and Jesse are admitted into the hospital and should make a full recovery. Marisa begins to question what "being good" really means.

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Marisa and her dad pick up Harris and Jesse from the hospital. Marisa's mom calls and talks to her, but says no when Marisa asks her to come home. They all go to the annual Silverdale Halloween Parade, and meet Grace and Lena

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Marisa's dad is going to be on the Today Show talking about the orcas. While the crew is setting up, Marisa talks with Naomi about the whales and she gets to listen to recordings of the whales.

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Harris and Marisa help Kevin sort out photographs of whales, and learn that they are taking pictures of whales to track their health. Marisa asks Harris if her mother ever talked about her, and he responds all the time. He gives Marisa hope that she will eventually come home. The waves from boats coming in the Inlet shake the houseboats and wake everyone up.

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Harris and Marisa are in charge of posting No Wake signs along the shore. Harris and Jesse stay with Tal and Bette again, and Bette invites Marisa to stay the night also. While upstairs in the tower, Marisa and Harris find yearbooks that have Carol's name in it but her picture cut out, and also bracelets with baby shoes. They both wonder why Tal and Bette never mentioned their daughter. The orcas get out of the inlet, but they come back.

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Marisa questions about Carol Ann, and then talks to Bette about her. Marisa then realizes that Bette knows the reasoning behind her mother leaving, but doesn't tell her. The whales are still stuck in the inlet and are showing signs of distress.

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Tribes are in the canoes performing the blessing ceremony on the whales. Marisa learns that everything is connected.

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Marisa opens a letter that was addressed to her mother, and she finds some very interesting information. The reason that Marisa's mom left was to find her child that she gave up for adoption. Tal informs Marisa about Penn Cove and the Mammal Protection Act.

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Marisa and friends are trying to figure out why the whales won't leave the inlet. Marisa canoes out into the inlet alone before the sun rises to see if she can understand anything new about the whales. She figures out that the bridge is whats stopping the whales from leaving.

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Marisa explains her predicition to Kevin and Naomi, but unfortunately they do not consider it.

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There are three types of whale communication:clicks, whistles, and calls (p.106

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Lobtailing is when a whale flips their fin onto the water when they sense danger to warn off the predators around them (p. 107).

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"Each whale has their own fin shape and saddle patch markings" (p.68). The novel notes that this is like their fingerprints. This allows for researchers to be able to identify the whales (Center for Whale Research, 2018).

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The scientific name for orca whales is Orcinus orca (p. 47).

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Mammals are characterized by the following features: Mammals breathe air with lungs. Mammals are "warm-blooded": they maintain a constant, high body temperature independent of their surroundings. As a rule, mammals bear live young. (Two primitive mammals are exceptions to this rule: the duckbilled platypus and the spiny anteater/echidna both lay eggs). Mammals nurse their young with milk. Mammals have hair, at least at some stage in their development. A whale's smooth skin is an adaptation for swimming. A newborn calf often has a few sparse hairs around the rostrum that are lost within the first days of life.

Cetacea is a scientific order of large aquatic mammals that have forelimbs modified into flippers, a horizontally flattened tail, one or two nostrils at the top of the head for breathing, and no hind limbs. Cetaceans include all whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Mammals breathe air with lungs.

Mammals nurse their young.

The word "cetacean" is derived from the Greek word for whale, kētos.

Biochemical and genetic studies suggest that even-toed ungulates, especially hippopotamuses (Family Hippopotamidae), are cetaceans' closest living terrestrial relatives. (Sheep, cows, pigs, and giraffes are also examples of even-toed ungulates). These animals and whales probably share a common ancestor.

Some scientists suggest that since cetaceans genetically and morphologically fall within the artiodactyl clade, they should be included in the Order Cetartiodactyla with Cetacea as an unranked taxon.

Living cetaceans are further divided into two suborders: the Odontoceti (toothed whales) and the Mysticeti (baleen whales).

Odontoceti is a scientific suborder of whales characterized by having teeth and a single blowhole. The word "Odontoceti" comes from the Greek word for tooth, odontos.

Dolphins and their immediate kin are included in the scientific family Delphinidae. This family is represented by about 36 species, including bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales, and false killer whales. The killer whale is the largest member of the dolphin family.

The Delphinidae family is represented by about 36 species including bottlenose dolphins and killer whales.

Genus, Species - Orcinus orca

The Latin name Orcinus translates as "belonging to Orcus". Orcus was a Roman god of the netherworld, and this genus name is likely a reference to the hunting prowess of the killer whale. In Latin, orca translates "large-bellied pot or jar", but orc- also refers to a whale.

A biological review team of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries concluded that the resident, fish-eating killer whales of the North Pacific comprise a distinct (as yet un-named) subspecies.

Although currently only a single species of killer whale is accepted, multiple species or subspecies of killer whales may be recognized in the future. One recent genetic study suggests that the Antarctic type B and type C killer whales form a separate species and transient killer whales are also another killer whale species.

Killer whales gained their common name because some types prey on other whales. They were once called "whale killers" by sailors who witnessed their attacks on larger cetaceans. Over time, the name was gradually switched to "killer whale".

The name "killer whale" was originally "whale killer".

Another common name for killer whales in Spanish is ballena asesina, which translates to "assassin whale". The German common name is schwertwal, or "sword whale" - a reference to their large dorsal fin. Native Americans call them by names including klasqo'kapix (Makah, Olympic Peninsula), ka-kow-wud (Quillayute, Olympic Peninsula), max'inux (Kwakiutl, northern Vancouver Island), qaqawun (Nootka, western Vancouver Island), and ska-ana (Haida, Queen Charlotte Islands). Other common names include blackfish and orca.

Killer Whale Ecotypes (Forms)

Scientists currently recognize at least 10 distinct ecotypes (or forms) of killer whales. These ecotypes differ at the molecular level and display distinct differences including variations in size, habitat, color pattern, dorsal fin shape, vocalizations, prey type, and hunting strategies.

In the Northern Hemisphere, there are five recognized ecotypes. Type 1 and type 2 killer whales inhabit the eastern North Atlantic. In the eastern North Pacific Ocean, observers have recognized that various groups of killer whales show physical and behavioral differences. They categorize pods of eastern North Pacific killer whales into three ecotypes: "transient", "resident", and "offshore".Researchers analyzed samples collected from 73 whales in the eastern North Pacific and found significant genetic differences among transient whales (also referred to as "Bigg's killer whales" in honor of early killer whale researcher Michael Biggs) and two separate groups of resident whales. The offshore ecotype has been identified but not as well studied as the resident and transient ecotypes. It appears to be more closely related to the resident ecotype than to the transient ecotype. A fourth potential killer whale ecotype in the Pacific inhabits the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP).

There are five recognized ecotypes in the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctic type A killer whales. Small type B - this ecotype may also be called "Gerlache killer whales" because they are regularly found around the Gerlache Strait off the western Antarctic Peninsula. Large type B - this ecotype is sometimes referred to as "pack ice killer whales".Type C - also referred to as "Ross Sea killer whales".Type D - this ecotype may also be called "Subantarctic killer whales".

Experts identify killer whale populations based on the whales' call patterns, behavior, body shape, and coloration. Current and future studies analyzing biochemical and chromosomal characteristics may help distinguish genetic relationships among pods and regional populations of killer whales.

Early whales evolved over 50 million years ago from mammals that returned to the sea.

While the fossil record is poor in regard to modern cetaceans, most modern forms of both odontocetes and mysticetes appear in the fossil record five to seven million years ago. Recent mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analyses support the theory that cetaceans are distant cousins of even-toed ungulates (artiodactyls) and that hippopatamids are the closest living relative to cetaceans.

Most modern forms of both odontocetes and mysticetes appear in the fossil record five to seven million years ago.

DNA analysis supports the theory that the hippopatamids are the closest living relatives to cetaceans.

The remains of one such ancient hippopatamid discovered in Kashmir, India - Indohyus - is placed in the extinct family Raoellidae. It's theorized that Indohyus took to the water as a means of escaping predators, as opposed to finding new food sources, some 48 million years ago. The middle ear space of Indohyus features a thick bone covering called an involucrum. Previously, the only other animals known to have an involucrum have been cetaceans.

In Italy, experts have uncovered Pliocene (two to five million years old) fossils that seem to be related to modern killer whales. The fossil skull of a whale that has been named Orcinus citoniensis had smaller teeth - and more of them - than modern killer whales. Scientists have identified large, fossil delphinid teeth, mostly from the Pliocene, as those of an Orcinus species.

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killer whale whales orca orcas scientific classification taxonomy genus species animal animals info information facts seaworld busch gardens discovery cove

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Mammals are characterized by the following features: Mammals breathe air with lungs. Mammals are "warm-blooded": they maintain a constant, high body temperature independent of their surroundings. As a rule, mammals bear live young. (Two primitive mammals are exceptions to this rule: the duckbilled platypus and the spiny anteater/echidna both lay eggs).

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On page 156, Tal describes how people used to hunt for baby whales to put in aquariums (Mentyka). This is an issue because eventually it could cause this species to become endangered or extinct.

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"Orcas are careful not to stay and forage in any one area for too long" (Mentyka 161).

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At full maturity the male killer whale will usually grow to an average length of 20 - 26 ft. long and weigh an average of 8,000 lbs. - 12,000 lbs. while an adult female killer whale will grow to an average length of 16 - 23 ft. long and weigh between 3,000 lbs.

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Marisa skips school to try to help the whales on her own. Tal asked Marisa to speak at the council, and she agrees to. Marisa explains her plan to her friends and asks for their help.

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Marisa debates on telling her dad about the letter, but decides not to. Her friends help her post flyers along the bridge.

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Marisa speaks at the council and does great. While speaking, she thinks of her mom which encourages her even more.

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The council voted to close the bridge like Marisa said would help. Marisa then sits down with her dad and reads the letter that was addressed to her mom.

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The bridge is closed to try to get the orcas out. At first it looks like its not working, but then they start to leave. All of them get through except muncher so his moms turns around back to the inlet.

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Marisa and the tribe paddle to the whales that are in the inlet to try to help them. They get the whales to follow them out of the inlet,

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Marisa takes the long way home after school before arriving home to her dad. Her dad mentions that her mom asked her to call her back, but before she does her dad gives her a stack of letters that her mom has been writing her. Marisa calls her mom back and accepts the fact that she has a half-brother.

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The orcas can show depression around the edge of the blowhole (Mentyka, 180). Depression can cause many issues in the orcas.

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If you look at the above picture you'll see a majestic Orca jumping out of the water in the wild. The wild where he is free to swim for miles a day, interact with other whales, hunt on his own, and enjoy life. His dorsal fin (the fin on his back) is standing up straight. You may wonder why that matters. Take a look at the picture below.

Whale, whale, whale... what do we have here? (Sorry- I couldn't resist). Anyway, on a serious note, this is a photograph of an Orca and a trainer at a SeaWorld Park. His dorsal fin is completely lopsided, falling, drooping, collapsed. There are many reasons for this and they are all a cause of being held in captivity.

Less than 1% of Orcas in the wild have collapsed dorsal fins. Every single male Orca held in captivity has a collapsed dorsal fin. Some female whales do as well. The number one cause of a collapsed dorsal fin is depression. Other reasons for a collapsed dorsal fin are illness and injury, dehydration, the fact that whales in captivity spend most of their time at the surface of the water as opposed to underneath it- gravity, and feeding behavior. All of those things are a result of being held in captivity.

Whales in the wild swim in deep, vast oceans, with the water current and pressure on either side there to keep it straight and tight. Unlike in captivity, they must float around at the top of the surface eventually causing the fin to droop. In the wild, Orcas get their hydration through their fresh prey. The fish they are given have been processed, lacking hydration, causing the fin to fall.

Dorsal fins are simply one of many clear examples that prove that being kept in captivity for entertainment and money purposes is detrimental to these animals. Check out next week for more.

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If you look at the above picture you'll see a majestic Orca jumping out of the water in the wild. The wild where he is free to swim for miles a day, interact with other whales, hunt on his own, and enjoy life. His dorsal fin (the fin on his back) is standing up straight.

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The entire pod moving fast through the water is called porpoising (Mentyka, 209).

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High Speed Porpoising Killer Whales, Victoria BC Video Credit: Olivia Galati