[MARMAM] PDF: (v 2024) Killer Whales of the Northern Indian Ocean Photo ID Catalogue

[Georgina L Gemmell]

Dear Marmammers,


We are pleased to announce that the updated (v 2024) Photo ID Catalogue for
Killer Whales of the Northern Indian Ocean is now available in PDF format
and can be downloaded from the following link.


https://niokillerwhales.wixsite.com/niokwa/copy-of-download-pdf-version-1


DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10065.54889


The catalogue includes identification images and sightings records for the
80 identified killer whales, comprised of 23 pods and 5 suspected lone
animals.

A live on-screen version of the catalogue can also be found at the same
website under the ‘ID catalogue’ tab, where you can click ID images to
magnify detail.


Terms of Use: Data and images are the copyright of the respective
individual contributors, associated study and/or network, and are not to be
used without prior written permission.

For all requests relating to catalogue data use in publication or
commercial applications, and requests for access to high-resolution images,
please contact the NIOKWA administrators via georgina.wildoce...@gmail.com


All the best


Georgina

-- 
*Georgina Gemmell*
Lead Administrator, Orca Project Sri Lanka
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[MARMAM] Orcas of Sri Lanka: Photo ID Catalogue. Updated Version. Jan 2019

[Georgina L Gemmell]

Dear Marmammers,

Happy New Year.

On behalf of Orca Project Sri Lanka (OPSL), I'd like to alert you to the
updated version of the Sri Lankan killer whale (orca) Photo ID catalogue.

"Orcas of Sri Lanka: A catalogue of Photo-Identified Individuals"
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33840.8

The catalogue currently holds 39 individuals identified from Sri Lankan
waters.

A pdf version can be viewed and downloaded at the following link.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330245734_Orcas_of_Sri_Lanka_A_catalogue_of_Photo-Identified_Individuals


All the best

-- 
*Georgina Gemmell*
Lead Administrator, Orca Project Sri Lanka
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[MARMAM] Updated - Killer Whales of the NIO Photo ID Catalogue v Aug 2018

[Georgina L Gemmell]

Dear Marmammers,

On behalf of the Northern Indian Ocean Killer Whale Alliance I would like
to alert you to the updated version of the following document -

"Killer Whales of the Northern Indian Ocean: A Catalogue of Photo
Identified Individuals". Version August 2018.
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25912.19205 **


The catalogue currently holds 72 identified animals sighted in the Northern
hemisphere of the Indian Ocean and its adjacent seas.


PDF Download link -
http://niokillerwhales.wixsite.com/nio…/download-pdf-version


Live On Screen Version -
http://niokillerwhales.wixsite.com/n…/copy-of-view-on-screen


To request access to high-resolution images, contribute sightings or to
join the NIO Killer Whale Alliance, please contact myself at
georgina.wildoce...@gmail.com.


All the best


Georgina



-- 
*Georgina Gemmell*
Lead Administrator, Orca Project Sri Lanka
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[MARMAM] PDF: Killer Whales of the Northern Indian Ocean Photo ID Catalogue

[Georgina L Gemmell]

Dear Marmammers,


We are pleased to announce that the Photo ID Catalogue for Killer Whales of
the Northern Indian Ocean is now available in PDF format and can be
downloaded from the following link.


http://niokillerwhales.wix.com/niokwa#!download-pdf-version/kw048


The catalogue includes identification images and sightings records for the
51 identified killer whales, comprised of 15 pods and 5 suspected lone
animals.

A live on-screen version of the catalogue can also be found at the same
website under the ‘ID catalogue’ tab.


To request access to high-resolution images, contribute sightings or to
join the NIO Killer Whale Alliance, please contact myself at
georgina.wildoce...@gmail.com.


All the best


Georgina

-- 
*Georgina Gemmell*
Lead Administrator, Orca Project Sri Lanka
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[MARMAM] First confirmed Photo ID match for killer whales sighted in Sri Lanka and Abu Dhabi

[Georgina L Gemmell]

Dear Marmamers,


We (Orca Project Sri Lanka) are pleased to announce our finding of the
first known Photo ID match for two killer whales sighted in both Sri Lanka
and Abu Dhabi (approx. distance 3,300 km).

The two individuals, thought to be a male and female, are known to Orca
Project Sri Lanka as members of Pod 6, first sighted off Mirissa (Southern
coast) on 31/08/2015 by whale watch operator Raja and the Whales.


These individuals match those in an image from Abu Dhabi (taken in June
2008) that appeared online via Gulf News, and can be viewed at this link
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/killer-whales-spotted-in-abu-dhabi-waters-1.110887


The positive match was confirmed by NOAA scientists/ killer whale experts-
Robert Pitman, John Durban and David Ellifrit.

This exciting finding bodes well for the potential success of collaborative
Citizen Science when researching far-travelling pelagic populations, such
as those that inhabit the Northern Indian Ocean. Due to their offshore
nature and infrequent sightings, very little is known about their ecology,
movements, population structure and more.


The Northern Indian Ocean Killer Whale Alliance was founded as part of a
collaborative project between Orca Project Sri Lanka and Wildlife
Conservation Society biologist Tim Collins, with the hopes of shedding some
light on the lives of these mysterious whales. In addition to coordinating
a Photo ID catalogue for the region, the alliance was set up with the
objective of increasing the number of “eyes and ears” available in the area
for killer whale sightings.

Already the NIO Killer Whale catalogue holds over 50 individuals from all
over the Northern Indian Ocean, with images contributed by members of the
alliance which include Whale Watchers, NGOs, researchers, fisherman,
yachties, marine enthusiasts and more. The catalogue will be made available
to the public via an official website and downloadable PDF to be released
shortly.

-- 
*Georgina Gemmell*
Lead Administrator, Orca Project Sri Lanka
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[MARMAM] A Regional Killer Whale Photo ID Catalogue for the Northern Indian Ocean (including Persian Gulf and Red Sea).

[Georgina L Gemmell]

Dear Marmamers,


Myself (Georgina Gemmell- Orca Project Sri Lanka) and Tim Collins (Wildlife
Conservation Society) are currently in the early stages of a new and
exciting collaborative project- to compile a regional Photo ID catalogue of
killer whales sighted in the Northern Indian Ocean (including the Persian
Gulf and Red Sea).


The populations of killer whales that inhabit this area remain some the
most mysterious and under studied in the world. Due to their offshore
nature, sighting records are often few and far between with much of the
research effort relying on a citizen science based network.


In order to advance our understanding of these populations and for local
studies to mutually benefit from a wider network of information, we would
like to propose an alliance (tentatively the Northern Indian Ocean Killer
Whale Alliance) between the cetacean study groups and researchers across
the region, where images of killer whale sightings are contributed to a
regional Photo ID catalogue.


Already the project is showing great potential, with several contributions
from citizen science based sources and researchers. Even at this early
stage, the catalogue has revealed some interesting localized ID matches. In
time, it may also reveal information regarding population numbers,
ecotypes, site fidelity and movements between countries.


All images and data shared are fully credited to the photographer(s)/and or
research study. The catalogue will also credit the local research in each
area to ensure that it remains an inclusive effort. Any existing local
killer whale catalogues will be acknowledged, with the corresponding
catalogue codes included for each individual.

We are currently requesting images and records of killer whales from the
Northern Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

Any researchers or study groups interested in joining the alliance, please
contact georgina.wildoce...@gmail.com.


All the best


Georgina Gemmell
-- 
*Georgina Gemmell*
Lead Administrator, Orca Project Sri Lanka
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[MARMAM] New Publication in press: Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Predation on Whales in Sri Lankan Waters.

[Georgina L Gemmell]

Dear Marmamers,

On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to announce a new publication
(Short Note) in press, to be published in the journal Aquatic Mammals.
Gemmell, G. L., McInnes, J. D., Heinrichs, S. J.  de Silva Wijeyeratne, G.
(In Press) Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Predation on Whales in Sri Lankan
Waters.

If you would like to receive a copy of the In press PDF, please contact
myself (Georgina Gemmell – OPSL Co-Founder and Lead Administrator) at
georgina.wildoce...@gmail.com. The official print version will appear in
the December 2015 issue of Aquatic Mammals Journal, available only to
subscribers.

This short note provides the first insight into the dietary habits of the
little-known killer whale population seen off Sri Lanka, in the Northern
Indian Ocean. Orca Project Sri Lanka, a public-science and Photo ID study
of the local killer whale population, received photographs and footage
documenting two separate attacks on cetaceans in Sri Lankan waters, these
are (1) an attack on a pod of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and (2)
an attack on a mesoplodont beaked whale (Mesoplodon sp.) In addition to
these accounts, we also present circumstantial evidence of an attack on a
blue whale (Balaenoptera mus¬culus). Among the most significant findings
were the predator and prey strategies observed in account (1): the killer
whales attacked the sperm whales in an apparent wound-withdraw strategy.
All age and sex classes appeared to be involved with the large adult male
killer whale playing a pivotal role, delivering the blow that separated a
smaller sperm whale from the rest of the herd. The sperm whales did little
to defend themselves: their main defensive behaviour was maintaining a
tight group on the surface, at times forming a rosette (or ‘marguerite’-
heads inwards, tails out) - a behaviour which up until now has only been
described from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It is unclear whether any
sperm whales were killed in the attack, but the observation of blood and an
oil slick on the surface suggest that at least one sperm whale had been
injured. Other noteworthy findings include, to our knowledge, the first
record to confirm killer whales preying on mesoplodonts (2), which until
now were only suggested as prey based on scars consistent with killer whale
teeth observed in a beached specimen of M. densirostris. And Account (3),
the first strong circumstantial evidence to support killer whales
opportunistically preying on blue whales in Sri Lankan waters. Overall,
these observations provide crucial insight into the behaviour of this
little-studied killer whale population, and also contribute to the overall
knowledge available for killer whales preying on large cetaceans.

All the best
Georgina Gemmell


-- 
*Georgina Gemmell*
Lead Administrator, Orca Project Sri Lanka
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