Killer Whale

The fascinating and heartbreaking account of the first publicly exhibited captive killer whale — a story that forever changed the way we see orcas and sparked the movement to save them Killer whales had always been seen as bloodthirsty sea monsters. That all changed when a young killer whale was captured off the west coast of North America and displayed to the public in 1964. Moby Doll — as the whale became known — was an instant celebrity, drawing 20,000 visitors on the one and only day he was exhibited. He died within a few months, but his famous gentleness sparked a worldwide crusade that transformed how people understood and appreciated orcas. Because of Moby Doll, we stopped fearing “killers” and grew to love and respect “orcas.”

Killer whales are the supreme predators in the ocean. This introduction to killer whales, or orcas, pieces together the latest information on their life histories. How they communicate and maintain well-established societies, with intricate family relationships, over long lifespans. We also learn that killer whales must now contend with toxic pollutants, overfishing of their prey and a host of other environmental concerns. Illustrated by the world's best wildlife photographers, this book brings us face to face with these intriguing creatures in their underwater realms.

"Hoyt's passionate sense of kinship with orca makes his account effective as both a science and literature. He has chronicled his adventures and discoveries ...with grace, insight, wit--and a comprehensiveness that might satisfy even Herman Melville." (Discover Magazine) Star performers in aquariums and marine parks, killer whales were once considered to be too dangerous to approach in the wild. Erich Hoyt and his colleagues spent seven summers following these intelligent and playful creatures in the waters off northern Vancouver Island, intent on dispelling the killer myth. Orca: The Whale Called Killer is Hoyt's exciting account of those summers of adventure and discovery, and the definitive, classic work on the orca or killer whale. The Free Willy films, inspired in part by Hoyt's pioneering writing about orcas, tell the story of a captive orca being returned to the wild. (Hoyt, in fact, recommended Keiko, the orca who became the star of Free Willy, to Warner Bros.) But Orca: The Whale Called Killer tells the true story of wild orcas befriending humans.

It’s fight time for the great white shark and the killer whale! One animal is The Terrible Torpedo, and the other animal is a Wolf of the Sea. Both fighters boast massive jaws. But which one will be crowned champion of the Showdown at Sea?

A journalist “convincingly spells out the threats to their survival, their misery in captivity, and what scientists can learn by studying them” (Kirkus). The orca—otherwise known as the killer whale—is one of earth’s most intelligent animals. Remarkably sophisticated, orcas have languages and cultures and even long-term memories, and their capacity for echolocation is nothing short of a sixth sense. They are also benign and gentle, which makes the story of the captive-orca industry—and the endangerment of their population in Puget Sound—that much more damning. In Of Orcas and Men, a marvelously compelling mix of cultural history, environmental reporting, and scientific research, David Neiwert explores an extraordinary species and its occasionally fraught relationship with human beings. Beginning with their role in myth and contemporary culture, Neiwert shows how killer whales came to capture our imaginations, and brings to life the often catastrophic environmental consequences of that appeal. In the tradition of Barry Lopez’s classic Of Wolves and Men, David Neiwert’s book is a triumph of reporting, observation, and research, and a powerful tribute to one of the animal kingdom’s most remarkable members. Praise for Of Orcas and Men “Human beings need to learn from and understand the cooperative nature of orca society. Everyone who is interested in both animal and human behavior should read this remarkable book.” —Temple Grandin, New York Times–bestselling author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human “Powerful and beautifully written.” —Jane Goodall “Humans and killer whales have a long and complicated history, one that David Neiwert describes forcefully and eloquently in this fascinating and highly readable book.” —David Kirby, New York Times–bestselling author of Death at SeaWorld “[A] breathtaking survey of orca science, folklore, and mystery.” —The Stranger

In this story adapted from Haida tales, a girl who is born with eyes like no other has a special affinity for the water and the creatures who live there. When she is lost to the sea one day, her people are heartbroken until they encounter the wonder that has occurred.

Sneak a peak inside a bear's den or a killer whale's watery home. Follow a gray wolf looking for lunch or a rabbit trying not to become supper. Animals' lives are all about survival. It really is a wild animal kingdom out there. Book jacket.

Orcas are found in every ocean on the planet, but can they survive their relationship with humans? Orcas Everywhere looks at how humans around the world (Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike) related to orcas in the past, how we relate to them now and what we can do to keep cetacean communities alive and thriving. The book deals with science, philosophy, environmentalism and ethics in a kid-friendly and accessible way. Writer, filmmaker and orca activist Mark Leiren-Young takes us back to when killer whales were considered monsters and examines how humans went from using orcas for target practice to nearly loving them to death. If you know a young person who loves Free Willy or Finding Nemo, they will fall in love with these whales.