the tanks are way too small for such a big animal :|

I know... :-/ They do have 4 tanks in all for them that they rotate through. I feel bad for the ones that start to get the fin droop. This big guy had it. :(

Just thought I'd point out - the drooping of the fin is not caused by stress.
(Think about it! The fin is basically made of cartilage. Do our ears and/or nose droop when we're stressed?)

It is possibly caused by genetics, as there are hundreds of wild orcas who also have this fin effect, without even being anywhere near captive environments. :D

It is more common in captivity for two reasons:
1 - There are no natural 'currents' passing by the fin to act as a support.
2 - In captivity, the orcas are at the surface a lot more than in the wild. They get fed here and interact with the trainers frequently. This means that the dorsal is out of the water a lot more often, thus the water does not surround the fin to support it.

Sorry to butt in, but I hate people spreading this rumour! D: I'm neither for or against captivity, I just wish that the truth was out there! |D;

Anywho! Another great photo. Shows his classic eyepatch perfectly! <3

lol no I appreciate it. I think option #1 is the one that I'm thinking more of. I think someone has told me it also can be caused by the swimming in circles. Not saying it's true mind you ;) His droop was in the same direction as the circles that he swam.


When I go to Sea World I realize that it would have been really awesome to get into Marine Biology...then I think about the fact I hate deep water and sharks. T_T

Ever think about how horrible zombie sharks would be? O_o

Yus, because the swimming in circles creates a 'current'...as such. I can't think of how to word it correctly, but the water moving at different speeds at either side of the dorsal would cause it to be pushed. c: A combination of that, and the cartilage becoming softer because of being at the surface more...and boom, there's your effect! XD

Daww, marine biology is awesome! There's a lot of stuff about shellfish, coastlines, management problems and such...majority of the work is done from the shore! XD I think you could still do it, even if you dislike those things! n_n

Have you heard of a goblin shark? I love sharks, but heck, those guys creep me out sometimes. o_o http://dsc.discovery.com/sharks/sha.....blin-shark.jpg D:

There you have it...we have our reason(s) now for the dorsal droop :)

It's a thought...too bad I live in the desert. When was California supposed to drop off again? :D Ocean front property!

Yeah I've seen those guys before. They don't help with the scary shark thing. I went through their tunnel in the shark tank. I swear they swim around saying "Nom" to the Jaws theme. >.> If that glass wasn't there I'm sure I'd be shark food.

Not trying to start an argument or anything, but I just wanted to point out that dropped fins occur in only 1% or less of wild orcas.

He truly is a beautiful bull <3 Ulises has got to be my favorite captive orca. I do agree with you though - they shouldn't be in captivity.