Orca: The Whale Called Killer

by Erich Hoyt

Overview

"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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770854123
Publisher:	Firefly Books, Limited
Publication date:	11/06/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	260
Sales rank:	322,975
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Erich Hoyt has spent much of his life on, beneath or near the sea, working with whales and dolphins and marine conservation. The acclaimed author of Creatures of the Deep, Meeting the Whales, Riding With the Dolphins, The Earth Dwellers and Insect Lives, Hoyt lives in Scotland.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Foreword
Prologue
Part One: First Summer

Killer Whale Country
The Sonic Creature
The Predator and Man
The Whale Census
Swimming With Whales
Sleeping Whales Part Two: Fall/Winter

Captives Part Three: Second Summer

A Killer Whale Day
Stubbs Part Four: Third Summer

The Rubbing Beach Part Five: In Later Years

A Future For Orcas in the Northwest? Epilogue
Appendices

Appendix 1: The Diet of the Killer Whale: A List of Known Prey
Appendix 2: Population of Killer Whales in British Columbia and Washington Waters: Pod Size and Composition 1981-1987
Appendix 3: Local and National Names for Orcinus Orca
Appendix 4: World Catch Statistics for Killer Whales
Appendix 6: Killer Whales Kept Captive
Appendix 7: Institutions That Have Kept Killer Whales Captive
Appendix 8: A Concise History of Man and Orca Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Packed with action, [this] is the only [book] I have ever read that treats this glamorous sea predator in depth.

Niko Tinbergen

One of those rare, genuine books about a wild animal.
— Nobel Laureate, 1973

Sir Peter Scott

Erich Hoyt's book is a splendid introduction to one of the most fascinating and charismatic animals in the world.
— Founder, World Wildlife Fund

Roger Tory Peterson

Packed with action, [this] is the only [book] I have ever read that treats this glamorous sea predator in depth.
— naturalist, artist, author of Peterson Field Guide

Preface

FOREWORD by Sir Peter Scott

Erich Hoyt's book is a splendid introduction to one of the most fascinating and charismatic animals in the world. He blends the story of his exciting adventures working with orcas off the coast of British Columbia with plenty of facts about their behaviour and natural history, which makes a most readable mixture.

Whales and dolphins are all highly intelligent, but orcas are perhaps the most intelligent. Hence, the interactions between people and orcas are extraordinary. Humans and orcas, for example, are curious about one another: they investigate each other, they sing to each other, and they copy each other's tunes. One difference is that while both are among the top predators, orcas never kill men, but men still kill orcas.

As Erich Hoyt acknowledges, the public attitude toward orcas has changed over the last 20 years, partly because the whales have been widely exhibited in aquariums. Familiarity has bred affection, and fear has been replaced with respect. However, I am uneasy about keeping these powerful animals in concrete swimming pools — and making a lot of money out of doing so. The aquarium owners justify this by saying they are teaching people about whales and dolphins, but the price for the orcas is particularly high. It must be preferable for people to see whales and dolphins swimming freely in the sea, and I hope that more and more people will be able to do so from boats whose skippers know how to get close to these exciting animals without disturbing them. Erich Hoyt's book shows in vivid detail how much more can be learned this way.

On August 29, 1989, only days after writing this foreword for the third edition, Sir Peter Scott died at his home in England at age 79. As a founder of the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and, more recently, as president of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Sir Peter devoted his life to conservation, using his talents as an ecologist, ornithologist, painter, writer and broadcaster. He was the first Briton to be knighted for services to conservation. The fruits of his efforts remain — all around us and in the way we think. He has sharpened our awareness of the urgency to act on behalf of the Earth.

Editorial Reviews

Highly recommended especially for public and college library wildlife science collections.

Midwest Book Review

[Review of previous edition:] A well-written, balanced account ... interspersed in the story are excellent summaries of our current knowledge about orca attacks, feeding behavior and hearing acuity. Aside from maps and photos, 8 well-referenced appendixes and a 14-page bibliography make it an important reference source for scientists.

Canadian Geographic - Edward Mitchell

A really great read... This is the fifth edition of the book, but according to Hoyt, the last substantial update occurred in the 1990 version, so this new edition adds information gleaned about Killer Whales over the past 30 years... This book would be a great read for any naturalists interested in learning about Killer Whales, both the natural history of populations in BC, but also the history surrounding their conservation and protection in Canada... For those interested in a comparison between Killer Whales in the wild versus those in captivity, this book also provides a lot of useful context.

Canadian Field Naturalist - William D. Halliday

[Review of previous edition:] A fine record of observations accumulated by patience and cautious persistence...presented somewhat in diary form of the summers with the whales, and interwoven with facts....The result is a well-compounded blend of close-up nature observation, scientific knowledge, and history. Bonuses are interesting asides on the scenery and wildlife, the lumbering, salmon fishing, and the local flavor of northern Vancouver Island. Hoyt's theme is preserve killer whales in their natural environment. He makes a good argument for it.

San Diego Union Tribune - Elizabeth N. Shor

(review of previous edition) It is certainly a book well worth reading and would most probably influence its readers to become more tolerant of and protective toward the orca.

Canadian Review of Materials - Hugh Cook

[Review of previous edition:] There is nothing wildlife needs more urgently than truth, for once people understand, people will act with preserved habitat, protective legislation, the tools of conservation. Erich Hoyt tells the truth about the orca in his fascinating book Orca: The Whale Called Killer. It is in itself a conservation tool. Required reading.

ABC-TV News - Roger Caras

[Review of previous edition:] I have never read a better book on whales, partly because Hoyt writes so well ... The developing relationship between the whale-watchers and these magnificent mammals makes absorbing reading ... The book contains valuable scientific and historical appendixes and an excellent index ... Don't miss it!

Philadelphia Inquirer

Redesigned and expanded with additional photos, illustrations and maps, the new book also examines some of the more pertinent issues facing killer whales today. Erich discusses how although public affection and respect for orcas is at an all-time high, they are facing threats from overfishing and habitat degradation like never before.

Dorset Echo - Laura Hanton

[Review of previous edition:] An engaging picture of the life of killer whales ... Hoyt's style is easygoing and comfortable, and as well organized as it is informative.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

[Review of previous edition:] Monumental achievement...the best whale book in years.

Oceans - Ronn Patterson

[Review of previous edition:] An enchanting story of adventure and discovery, one told with style, insight, charm and thoroughness.

Akron Beacon Journal

Monumental achievement...the best whale book in years.
— Ronn Patterson

Oceans

A well-written, balanced account ... interspersed in the story are excellent summaries of our current knowledge.
— Edward Mitchell, Arctic Biological Station [Canada]

Canadian Geographic

A well-compounded blend of close-up nature observation, scientific knowledge, and history.
— Elizabeth N. Shor, Scripps Institute of Oceanography

San Diego Union Tribune

There is nothing wildlife needs more urgently than truth... Hoyt tells the truth about the orca in his fascinating book.
— Roger Caras

ABC-TV News