Orca: Visions of the Killer WhaleQuietly cruising through a Northern fiord, diving underwater with astonishing grace, or hurtling their bodies skyward in a leaping breach, killer whales have long been admired as one of the most intriguing and mysterious of all animals. This lavishly illustrated portrait of the killer whale, or orca, which inhabits all oceans throughout the world, presents this almost mythical sea mammal in all its mystery and grandeur. In his poetic yet scientifically precise text, author Peter Knudtson offers visions of orca throughout the ages and across cultures, from the Kwakiutl reverence for and identification with killer whales to scientists' fascination with this intelligent, large-brained counterpart to both humans and wolves on land. Knudtson also describes in vivid detail the savvy, cooperative hunting techniques of killer whales as they race in ever tighter circles around a school of herring; the dramatic birth of a calf as it shoots from its mother's body like a torpedo; and the emerging evidence about the whales' exquisitely refined sonar and communication abilities. This compelling portrait concludes with a discussion of the ethics of orca captivity, environmental threats to wild populations, and a reassessment of orca's place in our world. Throughout the book, spectacular full-color photographs capture the whales spy hopping, breaching, hunting for seals and salmon, and caring for their young. Photographs of the whales' habitat in various parts of the world are also included. The result is a shimmering vision of the magnificent, majestic orca. |
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Common terms and phrases
acoustic ancient animal animal's aquariums aquatic baleen whales behaviour biological Biologists biosonar birth black-and-white blowhole blue whale body bottlenose dolphin breathing British Columbia calf calf's captive cetaceans clicks coast of North cosmopolitan range creature dialect distinctive dive dolphin brain dorsal fin echolocation evolutionary eyes FACING family groups feed fish food resources FOOTT/JEFF FOOTT PRODUCTIONS Haida human hunter intelligence JEFF FOOTT JEFF FOOTT/JEFF FOOTT JIM BORROWMAN/NOOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY John Ford killer whale populations killer whale society Kwakiutl lives mammalian matriarchy matrilineal NOOMAS North America OCEAN orca calves orca mother orca populations orca society orca's Orcinus orca Pacific Northwest pods porpoises predator predatory Punta Norte pups race rely resident killer whales resident orca respiratory saddle patch salmon sea lions sea mammals seals sensory skin social sonar sound species subpod surface surroundings swim tail flukes terrestrial transient killer whales underwater vocal warm-blooded waters wild killer whales wolves young