Notes on the Behavior of the Killer Whale Orcinus orca (Linneaus)

Author(s): Barry Thomas

Source: The Murrelet, Vol. 51, No. 1 (Jan. - Apr., 1970), p. 11
Published by: Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3534261
Accessed: 16-10-2019 04:48 UTC

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January-April, 1970 GENERAL NOTES 11

Notes
Notes on
onthe
theBehavior
Behaviorofof
thethe
Killer
Killer
Whale
Whale
Orcinus
Orcinusorca
orca(Linneaus)
(Linneaus)
On
On July
July8,8,1969
1969while
whilecamped
camped at the
at the
abandoned
abandonedIndianIndian
village
village
on theon the
southeastern
southeasterncoast
coastofof
Hope
HopeIsland,
Island,
British
British
Columbia
Columbia
(50°55'N
(50°55'N
- 127'50'W)
- 127'50'W)
I had
had the
theopportunity
opportunity ofof
observing
observing eighteight
killer
killer
whales,
whales,
Orcinus
Orcinus
orca. The
orca. The
pod
pod was
wasmade
madeupupofof four
four
large
largemales
males
and and
fourfour
females
females
proceeding
proceeding
slowlyslowly
in
in aa northerly
northerlydirection
directionthrough
through BateBate
Pass.Pass.
Upon
Upon reaching
reachinga apoint
point approximately
approximately100 100
yds.yds.
fromfrom
my campsite
my campsite
one one
pair
pair of
of whales
whalesbroke
brokefrom
from thethe
group
group
and and
headed
headed
directly
directly
for the
forshore.
the shore.
At At
this
this location
locationthe
thebeach
beach is is
made
made
up up
of round
of roundpebbles
pebbles
washedwashed
up to up
form
to aform a
beach
beach sloping
slopingdown
downinto
into
thethe
water
water
at an
at angle
an angle
of approximately
of approximately
40°. 40°.
Upon
Upon reaching
reachingthe
theshore
shore
both
both
whales
whales
made
made
fourfour
passes
passes
in such
in asuch
manner
a manner
as as
to
to scrape
scrapealong
alongthe
the pebble
pebble
bottom.
bottom.
TheThe
female
female
mademade
several
several
complete
complete
rolls rolls
during
during her
hertrip
tripacross
across
the
the
shallow
shallow
baybay
and and
in soindoing
so doing
made made
contact
contact
between
between
the
the bay
baybottom
bottomand andallall
areas
areas
of of
herher
body.
body.
BothBoth
the male
the male
and female
and female
made made
tight
tight 540°
540°circles
circlesatat
thethe endend
of of
eacheach
runrun
and and
in water
in water
shallow
shallow
enoughenough
to to
expose
expose most
mostofoftheir
theirdorsal
dorsal surface
surface
andand
was was
therefore
therefore
believed
believed
to have
tohad
have had
their
their ventral
ventralsurface
surface pressed
pressed down
down
uponupon
the the
substrate.
substrate.
This
This behavior
behaviorwas
wasinterpreted
interpretedas aasscratching
a scratching
exercise.
exercise.
AfterAfter
this five
this five
minutes
minutesof ofrigorous
rigorousexercise
exercise
thethe
twotwo
whales
whales
rejoined
rejoined
thosethose
waiting
waiting
offshore
offshore
and
and continued
continuedupupthethe
channel.
channel.
TheThe
apparent
apparentlack lack
of previous
of previous
sightings
sightings
of of
such
such behavior
behaviorcould
couldbebe
duedue
to to
thethe
remoteness
remoteness of this
of type
this type
of beach.-BARRY
of beach.-BARRY
THOMAS,
THOMAS,Dept DeptofofZoology,
Zoology,University
University of British
of British
Columbia-July
Columbia-July
28, 1969.
28, 1969.

Dental
Dental Abnormalities
Abnormalities in in
Microtus
Microtus
Longicaudus
Longicaudus
Dental
Dental abnormalities
abnormalities areare
notnot
uncommon
uncommonin microtines.
in microtines.
However,
However,
such such
abnormalities
abnormalitiesarearenot
notfrequently
frequently found
found
to be
toextensive
be extensive
withinwithin
a given a given
population.
Thirty-three Microtus longicaudus abditus have been collected in the
Oxbow Burn, Bum Creek (T20S, R7W, Sec. 19), Douglas Co., Oregon.
Twenty-three out of 33 voles had dental abnormalities ranging from rela-
tively slight to acute.
Ten voles had flattened incisors as illustrated by figures "a" and "b". It
seems that blunt incisors would greatly hinder a vole's ability to cut
vegetation and, possibly to protect itself. Eleven voles' incisors were worn
at various angles as seen in figures "c" and "d". One vole (fig. e) had
molars worn at such an angle that mastication of food would appear to have
been difficult.
We have no explanation for the high rate of dental abnormalities, but
are struck by the fact that all but one vole with abnormal occlusion were
adults. All the M. longicaudus were trapped between 20 October 1968 and
1 March 1969.
The specimens are in the University of Puget Sound Museum
Natural History, Tacoma, Washington. Specimen numbers of those sh
the figure are: a(LCC 54), b(CM 1439), c(CM 1431), d(CM 1382), and
e(LCC 59). CM=Chris Maser; LCC=L. Carol Clothier. The illustrations
are by L. Carol Clothier.
We are grateful to Professor Frank M. Beer and Mr. Ronald A. Nuss-
baum, Oregon State Univ., for critically reading the manuscript.-CHRIS
MASER (Museum of Nat. Hist.) and EDWARD F. HOOVEN (Forest Research
Laboratory), Oregon State Univ., Corvallis 97331-May 15, 1969.

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