#namtalk

[namu-the-orca]

Why have orcas never attacked humans in the wild, but other dolphins have? If interactions with orcas were as common as interactions with bottlenose dolphins, would there be incidents?

That's an interesting question!

First of all it's important to note that killer whales have shown negative behaviour/attacks towards humans in the wild. Most famously, Californian surfer Hans Kretschmer was bitten by a killer whale in 1972. The original news article is down, but he is interviewed in this more recent article.

It is probably the only known documented incident of a wild killer whale biting a human. However, quite some other, albeit less direct, cases of aggression have been reported. Antarctic killer whales have tried to tip people off ice floes, or wash them out of their boat, reported in both 1910 and 2010 coincidentally (when the Frozen Planet crew in their zodiac apparently were the target of a wave-washing attack). Cetacean researcher Bernd Würsig was attacked in 1989 by one of the Peninsula Valdes killer whales. He was observing sea lions from 200 metres away, hoping to photograph a hunt, when a killer whale beached to grab him and only missed him by a metre. And of course there's numerous incidents of killer whale damaging boats, not just the recent ones off Iberia, but also going back several decades.

However, attacks are not nearly as numerous or physical as those documented for wild (bottlenose) dolphins. I think number of encounters certainly plays a role there. Bottlenoses can live very close to shore in warm waters, so ideal places where people bathe and swim. Bottlenoses are highly sociable but live in much looser societies, meaning solitary animals may happen more frequently, and then look to humans for companionship. I believe most attacks come from such solitary animals, that are (too) accustomed to humans. Add to that that bottlenose dolphins are quite a sexually aggressive species too. They can be boisterous and rough when demanding attention, especially with a frail human. However, bottlenoses are not the only "culprits" - through personal communication I've heard of quite some stories of other species being rough with or injuring people who swam with them, or viewed them from a boat.

Killer whales generally live in colder waters and further offshore. Small chance of meeting one when going for a swim in the shallows. It seems solitary killer whales also happen much less frequently, and when they do, they rarely end up seeking human companionship. One notable exception is of course the young killer whale Luna. He did seek out extensive human contact for a long time. I don't believe people swam with him, but there was also no documented aggression from him as far as I know. Perhaps this is due to the generally calmer nature of killer whales, but it's hard to say with just one example.

So I think it is a combination of factors. Mostly the much greater number of interaction people have with (smaller) dolphins vs killer whales. I think in part also due to differences in behaviour/levels of aggression. And maybe people also act more stupid around smaller dolphins? Because those are always portrayed as so friendly, and cute, and of course this wild animal wants a full body hug from me! While for killer whales people (hopefully) have a little more respect.

Interesting topic for sure, if anyone wants to pitch in!

[namu-the-orca]

Here it finally is, the full cetacean eye colour info sheet! A long time coming, and an even longer time in the making. I hope that all you cetacean eye curious people will find this one as fascinating as the killer whale eye colour post. It’s a wild world out there! 

[namu-the-orca]

My blue neocaridina army starter colony is complete! I bought three groups of ten from different hobbyists. I hope they'll enjoy their new home and, in time, want to breed for me.

I'm really curious to see what those babies would look like, since there seems to be quite a bunch of different genetics in the juveniles I bought. A few have that deep, heavy, uniform blue look I like. Others are a lighter blue (or completely clear) with darker blue markings. A couple clearly show some poor variation of blue/black rili markings. And one or two are just straight up black lol.

But even without all that I'm having so much fun seeing them toodle around the tank. SHRIMP ARE RAD

[namu-the-orca]

Ahoj Namu,

What is the tongue like within rorquals (at least the lunge feeding ones)? In pictures of fetal tongues they are shown as filling the mouth much like the tongues of humans or dolphin. Image1 Image2 However in other images show the tongue as particularly far back in the mouth as this tiny lump in the back of the mouth not covering the sling at all. Image 1 Image 2 (tumblr seems to be inconsistantly linking them so I hope some of these images actually work). Do the tongues change shape (besides losing the papillae) as the whales become adults, or are rorqual tongues particularly motile they seem to just disappear in certain images, or is something else happening?

Kindly, Kala

Hi there! What an interesting question. Thanks for casting me down the proverbial whale gullet of rorqual tongues (and cetacean tongues in general). Tumblr did bug out a bit and only linked the second image for both examples but it gave me a good starting point. I want to begin with linking this awesome review paper covering everything ceta-tongue related you ever wanted to know: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joa.13876 It's free to read online with lots of great images!

And this paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12562-024-01806-w Your first linked image is from there, not sure if you caught the whole article. Also free to read! It specifically looks at the neonatal tongue in Minke whales, but also offers some comparisons with adults and other species.

With that out of the way; the answer to your question is that cetacean tongues are weird. And none weirder than those of the rorquals. Many of the functions we associate with tongue-having, like suckling, noise production or tasting, are absent in cetaceans. Their morphology is instead highly catered to their assistance (or not) in feeding methods. Suction-feeding species like Beaked whales need a tongue that can move back enough to create suction. In bowhead and right whales, the tongue should be movable enough to change shape, so that it can both direct water flow through the baleen, as well as clean those baleen. Dolphins need it to expel water from their mouth after they've caught a fish and close their gullet when not feeding (I've seen a dolphin do this underwater; it looks bizarre as their lips flare open when the water rushes out, and for a moment they have this very localised toothy grin).

Many tongues, many feeding strategies. But when cetaceans are young, they all have one and the same feeding strategy: drinking milk from mom. Unlike land-based mammals who actively suckle, cetacean mothers expel their milk into the water. The milk is so fatty and thick the consistency is more like that of toothpaste, so it does not dissipate instantly. It is up to the calves to channel this into their mouths. And so, as young calves, they have these marginal papillae, fringes at the edges of the tongue, which can create a seal when the tongue is curled up. Kind of like a biological straw.

Rorquals of course need to nurse too. So as calves, they have a tongue that is quite similar to that of other cetaceans: thick, muscular, mobile and with the mentioned marginal papillae. However, as they mature their feeding strategy becomes quite different. And as such, their tongues undergo a transformation too. In adults the tongue is floppy, more like a water bed. It is far less shapely, highly flexible and can't extend past the tip of the mandibles. It is probably impossible for the adult rorqual to move their tongue much. However, when feeding the tongue does something incredible. Because, along with the throat pouch, it too stretches and inflates as water comes rushing it. The tongue forms part of the lining inside the whale's incredible distended throat when eating. Now you see why it simply can't retain the fleshy, muscular tongue of its calf days.

Here's a schematic illustration from the first paper I linked. Looking at this it's clear what an incredible and unique structure the rorqual's tongue truly is.

This also explains why in many photos of wild whales lunging underwater it's hard to locate: once a rorqual opens their mouth, water automatically flows into the oral cavity, pushing the tongue back. On stranded whales the tongue may be in a more natural position and seem larger.

I hope this answered your question! Enjoy the cursed knowledge of rorqual tongues inflating like balloons lol. In seriousness though, super interesting topic I never really dove into before!

[namu-the-orca]

Speaking of cool cetacean footage, look at this GORGEOUS video I stumbled across on youtube. Close encounters of the 1st kind, B1 to be exact (yes the joke barely works but im still making it). Love love love those close up spy hops in the beginning you can see every pit in their skin and the front views really drive home how weird and.... bulbous their faces are. I love them a very normal amount.

[namu-the-orca]

A more-or-less-3-month shrumpdate: the blue things have multiplied successfully.

There are a lot of them now. Still seeing an interesting variety of gradients and colour patterns but I have set up a "weirdo" tank where all the shrimpies that aren't quite what I'm looking for go. The three colonies I bought from do seem to have the same genetics because they aren't throwing any wild types. In the weirdo tank I got one blue-red combo shrimp! They have funny genetics.

[namu-the-orca]

I was researching photos for a new tiger shark illustration and I came across this one like? omg?? you guys????

RESTING GENTLY ON MAMAS HEAD

(Photo taken by Dr. John F. Morrissey; for the story behind this incredible picture, see this article. Unfortunately the pup did pass away from what I read.)

[namu-the-orca]

Can't forget the love for my fire reds either. They are SO BIG and SO RED and they just sit wherever they want and no one bothers them.

Last week one of them swam straight up to a platy and kicked it. What a power move.