Post 8 Killer Whale

I researched the Killer Whale, also known as the Orca. The scientific name of this mammal is the Orcinus Orca. The Killer Whale species is an endangered species. This species is classified by four groups of populations: northern residents, southern residents, transients, and offshores. Northern residents are rare to see in Washington State; however, the southern residents and transients have been seen every year. In specific, the southern residents population size has been declining since 1960. An estimate of eighty whales decreased to thirty-three whales from 1960 to 1970. A single pod of the killer whale normally ranges from ten to sixty individuals. Solely from the southern residents, the J, K, and L pods roam the Puget Sound. These whales feed on the keystone species of Chinook Salmon. According to Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Killer Whale species are threatened by the depleting number of their main food source, salmon, contamination of pollutants, and the increasing number of curious people following the whales around the San Juan Islands. Global climate change has increased the death rate of the salmon, and therefore affecting the killer whale's food source. The killer whales are effected by global climate change because of the massive loss of salmon in their diet. Exposure to deadly chemicals and limited availability to food sources makes this aquatic species vulnerable. Since 1991, Washington State has helped this species by having tugboats assist vessels to prevent further oil spills. This helps stop more chemicals from entering into the waters. I picked the Killer Whale because of my own fascination with this species. I grew up loving the famous theme park of SeaWorld in California State because seeing the beautiful Orca whales swim was breathtaking to me. After doing research, and watching documentaries over the course of years, I am no longer fond of SeaWorld, but still think in awe of these special organisms. So I picked the Killer Whale to learn more about how this species lives in Washington State.
I used the information from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website. I used the photo from the San Juan Islands Whale Watching Website.
photo: https://www.visitsanjuans.com/what-to-do/all-san-juan-islands/whale-watching
information: http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00381/