Jewel # 458 (Oct. 11, 2021)

 10 popular questions about killer whales! 10 popular questions about killer whales! -

"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

Orca (or Killer) Whales  (Part 2)

“They that go down to the sea in ships...these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.”  

Psalm 107:23-24

Orca whales and humans often seem to be attracted to each other.  These whales have never been known to attack a human.  They swim together in groups called pods.  Some pods are friendlier that others.  A man once reported that while rowing his boat on Puget Sound, a pod overtook him but slowed down to swim alongside.  One of them swam back and forth under his boat several times, lightly brushing the boat with its fin, as though wanting to be friendly.  Marine scientists studying them get to know some well enough to give them individual names.

The lively antics of orca whales are amusing and amazing.  Naturally playful, they seem to challenge one another in splashing and breaching (leaping out of the water) as much as 30 feet, turning somersaults in the air, slapping the water with their tails, and twisting their bodies and landing on their sides or backs with a big splash.

Diving under a patch of kelp, a water plant, seems to be another form of amusement as they pull strands of it loose from the roots.  Kelp has air sacs that enable it to grow upright in the water, and when its stem is cut  loose from the roots it rapidly shoots out of the water a foot or more into the air.  The wales seem to enjoy this.  Incidentally, they don’t eat the kelp; it just washes to shore in the waves.

Orca whales never seem to fight among themselves.  This is unusual and is another of the Creator’s wonders.  An observer in a boat reported watching two pods, traveling in opposite directions, meet near the surface.  He watched to see what they would do.  When about 50 feet apart, both pods stopped for 30 seconds, then submerged and, mixing, passed each other with gentle touches, seemingly as a greeting, and then went their separate ways.

They are kind to each other in another way.  When one of them is injured and can’t swim to the surface for air (as mammals they need air to breathe), others immediately come to help.  They swim under the injured orca, bumping it to the surface where it can breathe.

They are known to often visit shallow, rock-bottomed areas where they and rub their bellies, sides and backs on the rocks.  They apparently do this to scrape off small parasites on their skin or, perhaps, just to scratch an itch.

We know the Creator took great delight in placing these lively creatures in ocean waters, and they are all under His watchful care day and night.

Is He watchful of people too?  Yes, He is.  Job 34:21 tells us, “His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He sees all his goings.”  

What does He see as He watches you?

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 457 (Oct. 2, 2021)

 

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

Orca  (or Killer) Whales 

(Part 1)

"God created great whales, and every living creature that moves.” (Genesis 1:21)

In the past, orca whales, which are actually part of the porpoise family, have been referred to as killer whales.  However, research has shown that thy rarely attack whales and have not been known to attack swimmers or boats in the wild.  As a result, the true name of orca is now used.

An adult male will generally be 30 feet long and weigh as much as four to eight tons.  They are the largest and fastest of the porpoise family and can swim up to thirty five miles an hour.  Huge dorsal fins on the backs of males can be as tall as six feet and look like black sails when above water.  The fins of females are about half that size.  The life span for males is 30 to 50 years, going up to 70 years. Females have about the same life expectancy, but they can live as long as 80 or 90 years.

Their colouring is striking—black on top with clear white underside and occasional patches of white in the black areas.  Like other things of God’s creation, no two are exactly alike.  Some live in every ocean, usually where there are cool waters with ample supplies of food, which include fish (especially salmon), seals and even small porpoises.  When food is scarce, they may attack whales 20 times their size, biting into their soft stomachs.  That is how they got the name “killer,” but this rarely happens.

You may have learned about the life and ways of gray whales, with their 12 thousand-mile migrations from Alaska to Mexico and back.  But orca whales do not migrate at all, and their trips are limited to searches for food.  Groups of them have been known to travel as much as 100 miles a day chasing migrating salmon, each adult eating 200 to 385 pounds of fish in the chase.

The groups that have been studied the most are around Vancouver Island in Canada, in Puget Sound waters, and near the islands of Washington State.  Puget Sound is a busy place, and boat operators and residents along the shores see orcas frequently.

While orca communities may have up to 200 orca whales, these include what are known as family pods.  Each pod contains 5 to 50 orcas, all closely related.  Families stay together all of their lives, the males leaving only long enough to mate with females of other pods.  Pods may travel together but do not mix.  Females are at least 12 years old before their first calf is born and then they average another one every six to seven years.  Other pod members help take care of the baby orcas as long as necessary.

In the next message we will look at some of their ways of life.  These are extremely interesting and bring to mind the Bible verse, “Remember God's marvellous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.” (1 Chronicles 16:12).

(to be continued)

Love you all - Grandpa