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This is kinda a stupid question, but are W02 Floppy fin and SN090 Floppy the same whale?
No question is stupid! They are different individuals. W02 Floppy Fin is a member of the west coast community and is a Type 2 NA Orca and SN090/013/IS202 Floppy is a member of the Northern Isles pods and is a Type 1 NA Orca.A simple ID tool between the two for photos is their fins actually flop the opposite direction.
Fantastic photos of W08 Aquarius, W02 Floppy Fin and an unknown females flukes. I wish I could find out when/where these were taken but due to their stock photo licensing I have no idea. It could have given a more recent sighting for either of the males but I digress.
Photo A Photo B
is floppy's dorsal naturally bent like that? or was he a captive? he'd be the only wild orca (besides keiko at one point) to have a bent dorsal without any type of captivity prior that i know of.
Floppy Fin is definitely wild through and through! His fin flopping is thought to be caused by pollution.Few wild orca with flopped fins for you anon:W02 ‘Floppy Fin’IS202 / SN090 ‘Floppy’044 ‘ Iniesta’
Sorry if this question has been asked before but is it known how the west community are related i.e mothers and calves, brothers and sisters etc
No, we have theory’s over here but nothing concrete at all.
Here’s there association from their research paper. W04 (Moon) died during research (32 useable encounters in 19 years)
They normally travel/forage in single Male/Female units. Like at the moment when we watch a video titled ‘John Coe and female’ We know its highly likely to be W07 Moneypenny with him. The only exception is W06 Lulu (who may have previously travelled with W04).
From other Orca research we know they are a matriarch based society however Moneypenny wasn’t seen with W01 John until five years after his first ID. W09 Puffin wasn’t seen with W05 Comet until nine years after he was first seen. Making their estimated ages lower than the males, they may be related but who their parents are is a confusing question. The only constant is W03 Nicola and W02 Floppy Fin who may be mother and son.
Do flopped fins occur often in the wild? Was floppy fin a captive rescue?
1% in the whole wild population have a flopped over fin. No study has been done on the dorsal’s of the small community of nine orca (4 Males) Floppy Fin belongs to however if they did the percentage would be higher for just his population much like the New Zealand Orca. In his population they would note each male (even Aquarius has a tiny one) has a deformity in the dorsal. Floppy Fin was not a captive rescue to answer the other question, wild born sighted as an adult since 92.
Orcas of Scotland: Does their demise really matter?
The Hebrides in the North West of Scotland is the home to the highest abundance of marine mammals in UK waters. For now, it is also home to a resident population of orca called the West Coast Community (WCC). The WCC consists of 4 males and 5 females, all physically distinct from other North East Atlantic orcas. With over 40,000km2 of Hebridean Sea, the chances of encountering these magnificent creatures are slim. Given the logistical difficulty in surveying them, much of their lives remain a mystery. But from data collected by the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, we know that they are a family at high risk of extinction. With no calves spotted in the last 20 years and the females thought to be post-menopausal, it is likely that they will become extinct in our life time.
The Zoological Society of London has just released the Living Planet Index Report stating that in the last 40 years we have lost 52% of our global wildlife. The demise of the WCC would be another addition to this scary and sad statistic. Their loss would be significant because we don’t understand why they are not breeding. If humans are to blame, we unwittingly risk the same fate to other creatures we share this planet with. It could be that the females are just naturally unable to bear young or because of some human derived effect such as suppressed reductive performance due to high pollution concentrations.
Earlier this year, the creation of 30 new Marine Protected Areas in Scottish Waters was announced; however, none were designated for the protection of cetaceans. Unfortunately, the lack of data prohibits plans for further protection to this population of orca. It would be a travesty to lose this family, especially if there was something we could have done to prevent it. With wildlife being lost at an unprecedented rate, the time to learn and act is now, before it’s too late.
Article Photos: John Coe Floppy Fin Comet Aquaruis (One of these is recently deceased, yet to know who)
Trying to find photo's to show how huge these guys are, instead found some awesome photo's of Floppy Fin (his melon!). In the top photo he is with Aquaruis and (we think) Occasus then Lulu is the other female in the bottom photo. photos by Hebridean Whale Cruises Gairloch 24th August 2011
So I adopted Floppy Fin on the 31st of December, I thought you got an adoption certificate sent to your address or something?
