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Killer Whales
Part of the See More Readers imprint, Level 1.
The same fascinating content thoughtfully translated for use in the classroom or at home.
The same fascinating content thoughtfully translated for use in the classroom or at home.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Seymour Simon
332 books128 followersSeymour Simon, whom the NY Times called "the dean of [children's science:] writers," is the author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books (many of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association).
Seymour Simon uses his website, SeymourSimon.com, to provide free downloads of a wealth of materials for educators, homeschoolers and parents to use with his books, including 4-page Teacher Guides for all 26 of his Collins/Smithsonian photo essay books. The site provides multiple resources for kids writing book reports or wanting to explore the online Science Dictionary, and also features the Seymour Science blog highlighting current science news. Educators and families are encouraged to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter from SeymourSimon.com to stay abreast of the latest materials that Seymour Simon is introducing to enrich the reading experience.
He taught science and creative writing in elementary and secondary schools and was chair of the science department at a junior high school in the New York City public school system before leaving to become a full-time writer. "I haven't really given up teaching," he says, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing and talking to kids around the country and the world."
Seymour Simon is also a creator and the author of a series of 3D books and a series of Glow-in-the-Dark Books for Scholastic Book Clubs, a series of leveled SEEMORE READERS for Chronicle Books, and the EINSTEIN ANDERSON, SCIENCE DETECTIVE series of fiction books. His books encourage children to enjoy the world around them through learning and discovery, and by making science fun. He has introduced tens of millions of children to a staggering array of subjects; one prominent science education specialist described Simon's books as "extraordinary examples of expository prose."
Seymour Simon has been honored with many awards for his work, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his lasting contribution to children's science literature; the New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library for his contribution to children's science literature; The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction; the Jeremiah Ludington Award for his outstanding contribution to children's nonfiction; the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Forum on Children's Science Books.
In a recent interview Simon was asked if he ever thinks of retiring. "I seem to be working faster and harder than ever. I absolutely don't feel any urge to sit back and look at what I've done. The only things that I'm thinking about are things I'd like to do in the future. I'm planning and doing and continuing to write. It's what I love to do. I remember a story about an anthropologist going to talk to a tribe and he asked them what was their word for "work." Their response was they have no word for work. Everybody does the things that they do in their life. I love that response. I don't differentiate between work and play. Everything I do is something that I enjoy doing - the writing, the research and everything else."
Seymour Simon writes and photographs nature from his hilltop home in Columbia County in upstate New York, where he lives with his wife Liz Nealon.
You can follow Seymour on Facebook and on Twitter, as well as on his website, which offers free, downloadable Teacher Guides to his books for educators, parents and homeschoolers, as well as the popular Seymour Science Daily Blo
Seymour Simon uses his website, SeymourSimon.com, to provide free downloads of a wealth of materials for educators, homeschoolers and parents to use with his books, including 4-page Teacher Guides for all 26 of his Collins/Smithsonian photo essay books. The site provides multiple resources for kids writing book reports or wanting to explore the online Science Dictionary, and also features the Seymour Science blog highlighting current science news. Educators and families are encouraged to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter from SeymourSimon.com to stay abreast of the latest materials that Seymour Simon is introducing to enrich the reading experience.
He taught science and creative writing in elementary and secondary schools and was chair of the science department at a junior high school in the New York City public school system before leaving to become a full-time writer. "I haven't really given up teaching," he says, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing and talking to kids around the country and the world."
Seymour Simon is also a creator and the author of a series of 3D books and a series of Glow-in-the-Dark Books for Scholastic Book Clubs, a series of leveled SEEMORE READERS for Chronicle Books, and the EINSTEIN ANDERSON, SCIENCE DETECTIVE series of fiction books. His books encourage children to enjoy the world around them through learning and discovery, and by making science fun. He has introduced tens of millions of children to a staggering array of subjects; one prominent science education specialist described Simon's books as "extraordinary examples of expository prose."
Seymour Simon has been honored with many awards for his work, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his lasting contribution to children's science literature; the New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library for his contribution to children's science literature; The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction; the Jeremiah Ludington Award for his outstanding contribution to children's nonfiction; the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Forum on Children's Science Books.
In a recent interview Simon was asked if he ever thinks of retiring. "I seem to be working faster and harder than ever. I absolutely don't feel any urge to sit back and look at what I've done. The only things that I'm thinking about are things I'd like to do in the future. I'm planning and doing and continuing to write. It's what I love to do. I remember a story about an anthropologist going to talk to a tribe and he asked them what was their word for "work." Their response was they have no word for work. Everybody does the things that they do in their life. I love that response. I don't differentiate between work and play. Everything I do is something that I enjoy doing - the writing, the research and everything else."
Seymour Simon writes and photographs nature from his hilltop home in Columbia County in upstate New York, where he lives with his wife Liz Nealon.
You can follow Seymour on Facebook and on Twitter, as well as on his website, which offers free, downloadable Teacher Guides to his books for educators, parents and homeschoolers, as well as the popular Seymour Science Daily Blo
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 17, 2014
Killer Whales, published in 1978, is a book that suffers from the fact that its values and information are from a different era—one in which the captive-orca industry was just taking off, and the business of capturing them for show was more or less a free-for-all.
The author notes,
Killer whales have not been kept in captivity long enough for scientists to observe their life span.
Unfortunately, today’s data indicates that their life expectancies are significantly shortened in captivity. Orca lives also, were at one time, significantly shortened by harpoons belonging to public aquariums. It seems that far from the benevolent, family-friendly image projected by today’s aquariums, the institutions were once downright bloodthirsty:
In 1964, the Vancouver Public Aquarium mounted a harpoon gun on a point of land jutting out into the waters of British Columbia. Killer whales were often seen off the shore, and the aquarium wanted to get a specimen for study. On July 16, a young male killer was harpooned as he was swimming about sixty-five feet offshore. The harpoon entered the whale and passed through him. The whale appeared to be stunned by the shot. Two other whales from the pod swam alongside and assisted him to the surface for the first two or three minutes. The whale slowly recovered.
Undaunted by this show of animal empathy and intelligence, it wasn’t long before the VPL were up to their old tricks again. And therein lays the sad story of “Moby Doll,” the first orca to survive for any length of time in captivity. The famed whale was originally harpooned to be brought back to the Vancouver Public Aquarium as a dead specimen. The other whales attempted to help the injured young male as his distress calls filled the air. Moby managed to survive the harpooning and the grueling 16-hour tow to Vancouver.
Presented with this Instead of killing Moby, the Aquarium reversed its plans and instead decided to exhibit him alive. His first response was adopting the stereotypical repetitive movements we now recognize as a symptom of stress:
As soon as the whale was placed in the dry dock, it began swimming in slow, counter clockwise circles. It was to keep the same swimming pattern for the rest of its life in captivity.
Although Moby Doll caused much excitement and interest from the public, he quickly succumbed to illness.
He had been kept alive in captivity for eighty-six days. His death was due to multiple infections of different kinds.
I imagine harpoons will do that.
A chapter titled “How Killer Whales are Captured and Trained” is as facepalm-inducing to whale advocates as one might imagine.
Most of the killer whales that have been captured were taken in Puget Sound or in the waters of British Columbia. These places not only have a large killer whale population, but provide areas in which whales can be trapped. Over the past fifteen years, several hundred have been trapped and, of these, over fifty have been taken. Most of the other whales were released alive, but, unfortunately, a few died during the capture operations.
Eventually, the capturing debacles staged by Sea World and other institutions got so over-the-top that the laws were tightened, thus ushering in by necessity today’s era of captive breeding.
On several occasions the author parrots lines put forth by marine parks:
All of the things killer whales are trained to do are exaggerations of natural behavior patterns. Once the whales are trained they seem to enjoy performing, and being in shows does not harm them in any way, nor are they made to look like clowns.
Ok, we’re getting a bit ridiculous here, folks. This line comes shortly after the author’s admission that whales have been killed during capture operations for public aquariums. Obviously, whales were being harmed in a big way. As for looking like clowns, I’d like to note that this was also the era in which a popular orca trick was to have the animal swim around the pool wearing giant sunglasses.
To his credit, the author does include a passage acknowledging the arguments of those who are opposed to the captive orca industry:
Some scientists are beginning to argue that killer whales should no longer be hunted for any reason, not even for aquariums. They claim that too many killer whales die as a result of attempts to capture them. … These scientists think that anyone who wants to capture a killer whale ought to have to get a special permit, and that the permits ought to be given only rarely—and for a good reason.
However, with lines like “The killer whale has also benefited by being displayed before the public,” it’s pretty obvious what side the writer is biased toward.
While unrelated to the orcas-in-captivity debate, I found the author’s defense of predatory animals quite interesting and forward-thinking:
It is true that the sight of a pod of killer whales surrounding and tearing at a herd of sea lions or a young gray whale is not for people who are squeamish. … In any event, the sight of a killer whale hunt is probably less upsetting than the sight of cattle being butchered in a slaughterhouse.
Exactly. We make monsters out of other species, without wishing to acknowledge our own monstrous capacity for violence. Unfortunately, in the story of our relationship with the orcas, they have at times been our victims as well.
The author notes,
Killer whales have not been kept in captivity long enough for scientists to observe their life span.
Unfortunately, today’s data indicates that their life expectancies are significantly shortened in captivity. Orca lives also, were at one time, significantly shortened by harpoons belonging to public aquariums. It seems that far from the benevolent, family-friendly image projected by today’s aquariums, the institutions were once downright bloodthirsty:
In 1964, the Vancouver Public Aquarium mounted a harpoon gun on a point of land jutting out into the waters of British Columbia. Killer whales were often seen off the shore, and the aquarium wanted to get a specimen for study. On July 16, a young male killer was harpooned as he was swimming about sixty-five feet offshore. The harpoon entered the whale and passed through him. The whale appeared to be stunned by the shot. Two other whales from the pod swam alongside and assisted him to the surface for the first two or three minutes. The whale slowly recovered.
Undaunted by this show of animal empathy and intelligence, it wasn’t long before the VPL were up to their old tricks again. And therein lays the sad story of “Moby Doll,” the first orca to survive for any length of time in captivity. The famed whale was originally harpooned to be brought back to the Vancouver Public Aquarium as a dead specimen. The other whales attempted to help the injured young male as his distress calls filled the air. Moby managed to survive the harpooning and the grueling 16-hour tow to Vancouver.
Presented with this Instead of killing Moby, the Aquarium reversed its plans and instead decided to exhibit him alive. His first response was adopting the stereotypical repetitive movements we now recognize as a symptom of stress:
As soon as the whale was placed in the dry dock, it began swimming in slow, counter clockwise circles. It was to keep the same swimming pattern for the rest of its life in captivity.
Although Moby Doll caused much excitement and interest from the public, he quickly succumbed to illness.
He had been kept alive in captivity for eighty-six days. His death was due to multiple infections of different kinds.
I imagine harpoons will do that.
A chapter titled “How Killer Whales are Captured and Trained” is as facepalm-inducing to whale advocates as one might imagine.
Most of the killer whales that have been captured were taken in Puget Sound or in the waters of British Columbia. These places not only have a large killer whale population, but provide areas in which whales can be trapped. Over the past fifteen years, several hundred have been trapped and, of these, over fifty have been taken. Most of the other whales were released alive, but, unfortunately, a few died during the capture operations.
Eventually, the capturing debacles staged by Sea World and other institutions got so over-the-top that the laws were tightened, thus ushering in by necessity today’s era of captive breeding.
On several occasions the author parrots lines put forth by marine parks:
All of the things killer whales are trained to do are exaggerations of natural behavior patterns. Once the whales are trained they seem to enjoy performing, and being in shows does not harm them in any way, nor are they made to look like clowns.
Ok, we’re getting a bit ridiculous here, folks. This line comes shortly after the author’s admission that whales have been killed during capture operations for public aquariums. Obviously, whales were being harmed in a big way. As for looking like clowns, I’d like to note that this was also the era in which a popular orca trick was to have the animal swim around the pool wearing giant sunglasses.
To his credit, the author does include a passage acknowledging the arguments of those who are opposed to the captive orca industry:
Some scientists are beginning to argue that killer whales should no longer be hunted for any reason, not even for aquariums. They claim that too many killer whales die as a result of attempts to capture them. … These scientists think that anyone who wants to capture a killer whale ought to have to get a special permit, and that the permits ought to be given only rarely—and for a good reason.
However, with lines like “The killer whale has also benefited by being displayed before the public,” it’s pretty obvious what side the writer is biased toward.
While unrelated to the orcas-in-captivity debate, I found the author’s defense of predatory animals quite interesting and forward-thinking:
It is true that the sight of a pod of killer whales surrounding and tearing at a herd of sea lions or a young gray whale is not for people who are squeamish. … In any event, the sight of a killer whale hunt is probably less upsetting than the sight of cattle being butchered in a slaughterhouse.
Exactly. We make monsters out of other species, without wishing to acknowledge our own monstrous capacity for violence. Unfortunately, in the story of our relationship with the orcas, they have at times been our victims as well.
December 12, 2008
Pretty informative for a young child wanting to learn more about killer whales.
February 13, 2012
I love this book maybe you will too! T.R.
May 20, 2017
Cool book about one of the most misunderstood creatures of the sea.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews