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SeaWorld Welcomes Newest Pea to Pod |
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SeaWorld Welcomes Newest Pea to Pod |
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Spring has sprung early at SeaWorld Orlando as the park welcomes a new baby killer whale to the Shamu family on the 12th of March 2007. |
Spring has sprung early at SeaWorld Orlando as the park welcomes a new baby killer whale to the Shamu family on the 12th of March 2007.
The calf’s mother, Taima, gave birth to the 6-foot-long, 350-pound newborn at 4:48 p.m. in SeaWorld Orlando’s multimillion-gallon research and breeding facility, Shamu Stadium, following a one-hour labor. Moments later, the baby whale instinctively swam to the surface of the water for its first breath of air. The calf began nursing within hours.
One of the most photographed killer whales in the Shamu family, Taima is also the mother of two other killer whales. She is 18 feet long and weighs 6,500 pounds. Taima was also born at SeaWorld Orlando during a 1989 thunderstorm, which is where she get’s her name; “Taima” is Icelandic for “crash of thunder.”
SeaWorld animal care specialists remain cautiously optimistic about the progress of the baby and its mother. The sex of the calf is yet to be determined.
The birth of this new whale brings the Orlando pod to nine whales, ranging in size from this 350-pound baby to a 12,000-pound male. SeaWorld's killer whale breeding program is the most successful in the world. This calf is the 15th killer whale born at SeaWorld Orlando and the 23rd to be born and successfully raised throughout all three SeaWorld parks.
Killer Whale Facts
· The gestation period for killer whales is about 17 months long.
· When whales are born, their dorsal fin is very soft, to aid in the birthing process.
· Baby killer whales nurse from mammary slits on their mother’s belly. The milk they drink is very rich – 35% fat.
· Killer whale calves nurse for up to one year. After that, the mother will wean the calf and will teach it how to eat solid food.
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Created: 03/24/2007 :: :: Rating: 0.00 (0 votes)
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