tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post171742575364599670..comments2024-02-14T13:04:30.499-05:00Comments on Good To Begin Well, Better To End Well: Killer Whales: As Smart As Chimpanzees?Amalia Dillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-1796032655714450972013-12-09T01:02:10.349-05:002013-12-09T01:02:10.349-05:00I've read a bit about Tillikum, and the whole ...I've read a bit about Tillikum, and the whole of it is really pretty heartbreaking, but I don't recall whether the article was just posing the question generally or if it was in reference to an attack -- certainly I was speaking generally, more than anything. <br /><br />I really kind of struggle internally in regard to marine parks like seaworld. On the one hand, I think it is important Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-12189467810482719482013-12-09T00:29:53.981-05:002013-12-09T00:29:53.981-05:00Hello there! Its probably a bit late, but I'd ...Hello there! Its probably a bit late, but I'd just like to shed some more light on the issue of the Killer Whales and their lethal attacks on humans. The Orca that you speak of is likely the one named Tillikum. When he was little he was taken and separated from his family (these are very family-oriented animals) by a violent capture in the wild. From there, he went on do endure VERY bad Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-76475147644576868292013-06-12T17:44:28.196-04:002013-06-12T17:44:28.196-04:00Killer Whales rate more highly than chimps already...Killer Whales rate more highly than chimps already, even without that. But yeah, I think you're right that there's something fishy (ahaha) about the EQ ratio there -- and I don't buy the lowball for Elephants, either.Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-2437230105900201712013-06-12T17:42:13.871-04:002013-06-12T17:42:13.871-04:00I remember going to an aquarium one spring, in Flo...I remember going to an aquarium one spring, in Florida, and they had a dolphin they were caring for, for some reason, and the way it WATCHED the people who walked by -- it was PERFECTLY clear that this was an intelligent and aware creature, capable of understanding and reasoning. There's absolutely something to be said for looking these animals in the eye -- and the world would be a better Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-54682096865092328632013-06-12T17:37:26.526-04:002013-06-12T17:37:26.526-04:00There is no way in 100 years a dolphin is twice as...There is no way in 100 years a dolphin is twice as smart as a killer whale. Absolutely the opposite. If you take blubber out of the body mass vs. brain size equation killer whales rate more highly than chimps. voltarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16335944659402733678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-64581002831481526172013-06-12T17:30:59.840-04:002013-06-12T17:30:59.840-04:00Of course killer whales are capable of intentional...Of course killer whales are capable of intentionally killing a trainer. The relationship they have had was not one of equals, it was master/servant. The orca in question has gotten away with murder now twice. Once he killed a home invader and the second time he made it clear who was really in charge.<br /><br />I've seen a lot of killer whales in the wild and a lot of dolphins. When you look voltarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16335944659402733678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-91169216139461273052010-03-22T12:06:52.315-04:002010-03-22T12:06:52.315-04:00Exactly! We're limited in what we know, and we...Exactly! We're limited in what we know, and we forget our own limitations and end up making assumptions when the data just isn't there. Thanks for the comment, and for the award!!Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-47096694565351047652010-03-22T11:28:31.509-04:002010-03-22T11:28:31.509-04:00I think you're right about the human tendency ...I think you're right about the human tendency toward ego and history tells us that we've always thought we were the center of it all, the most intelligent, etc. But there is a limit, and when we begin to consider how knew knowledge impacts what we already know, it usually takes the form of "we thought this" but our data was too limited and something else ends up being true. Jon Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07824815967445843124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-51604999848866964162010-03-19T15:17:16.100-04:002010-03-19T15:17:16.100-04:00Not "So long and thanks for all the fish!&quo...Not "So long and thanks for all the fish!" ? :)Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-50841951482167233172010-03-19T15:12:53.276-04:002010-03-19T15:12:53.276-04:00Wow! So interesting--dear little whales. I like to...Wow! So interesting--dear little whales. I like to read about animal studies like this. But Amalia, all I could think of while reading your blog was the scene from the movie "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," when the poor whale (albeit not Killer) falls to the ground with the flower pot.<br /><br />"What is that big, flat thing, rushing toward me? Owww, oww, groouund. Ground!Just Another Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07589166715361819941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-65537663844699002022010-03-19T14:03:04.748-04:002010-03-19T14:03:04.748-04:00See, that's the stuff that really blows my min...See, that's the stuff that really blows my mind. Killer Whales and dolphins really seem INTERESTED in developing cross-species relationships, and there are so many stories of them engaging with other animals out of curiosity or for fun. I think it's really unique, and really fascinating.Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-43661115424027684212010-03-19T13:47:17.193-04:002010-03-19T13:47:17.193-04:00I saw a piece on PBS awhile back about Killer Whal...I saw a piece on PBS awhile back about Killer Whales assisting an east-coast Austrailian town in whaling!<br /><br />The killers would drive humpbacks into the cove and then splash their tales, alerting the humans. It worked out good but the people always had to remember to share some of the prize with the Killers. I guess this went on around 70-80 years ago or so.nephite blood spartan hearthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17092519999184585295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-288170921319882472010-03-19T02:56:28.644-04:002010-03-19T02:56:28.644-04:00A quick wiki search says that bottlenose dolphins ...A quick wiki search says that bottlenose dolphins have a 5.31 EQ (it's 5.3 times the "average"), compared to the Killer Whale at 2.59 and the chimpanzee at 2.49. Humans rank a 7.44. It's kind of an inaccurate measurement of intelligence, but it gives you a rough idea of how much to expect from an animal, I guess. I didn't realize dolphins were so high, in comparison. Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-1724089251015503022010-03-19T01:53:35.098-04:002010-03-19T01:53:35.098-04:00Hmm... I wonder how killer whale intelligence com...Hmm... I wonder how killer whale intelligence compares with dolphin intelligence? I know a lot about the studies done on chimps (thanks to all my anthropology classes) and it's pretty amazing how smart those little guys are. <br /><br />We need more animal studies!Stephanie Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17437077559099315853noreply@blogger.com