{"id":422,"date":"2019-06-21T05:00:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T12:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/?p=422"},"modified":"2019-06-03T10:35:43","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T17:35:43","slug":"the-orca-scientists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/the-orca-scientists\/","title":{"rendered":"The Orca Scientists"},"content":{"rendered":"

June is Orca Awareness Month and, at the end of May, Orca scientists celebrated the birth of a new calf<\/a> to the J-pod off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. So the perfect time to share this book (that had found a great hibernation space at the bottom of my book basket!).<\/p>\n

\"\"The Orca Scientists<\/strong><\/em> (Scientists in the Field Series)
\nby Kim Perez Valice; photos by Andy Comins
\n80 pages; ages 10 – 12
\nHMH Books for Young Readers, 2018<\/p>\n

In the early 1970\u2019s Dr. Mike Bigg, a marine mammal scientist, pioneered a method of photo identification for orcas. He found that the dorsal fin \u201csaddle patch\u201d for each whale was unique, like fingerprint in humans. And that allowed him to follow individual whales and their pods.<\/p>\n

Today, Ken Balcomb and other whale researchers use those techniques as they continue the research on resident and transient orcas off the coast of Washington state and southern Canada. Ken is the founder and principal investigator for the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor. From May through October, he and other scientists keep track of who\u2019s swimming with whom.<\/p>\n

Despite their name of \u201ckiller whales\u201d, over his 40 years of observing Ken\u2019s never seen any of his whales kill anything other than the fish they eat. And they eat a lot \u2013 about 5% of their body weight in fish each day. Unfortunately, a decreasing fish population creates problems for the whales. They have to travel greater distances to find food, and that means less time for socializing, playing, and resting.<\/p>\n

What I like about this book: <\/span>Reading this book is the next best thing to being in a boat with the whale scientists. We really get to know some of the personalities and lifestyles of the orcas.\u00a0 We get side ring seats to a mother whale teaching her calf how to hunt. Hint: it\u2019s similar to how mother cats teach their kittens.<\/p>\n

We learn about other environmental issues that put orcas (and whales in general) at risk \u2013 such as the pollution. And we get a close-up view of scientists taking blubber samples to determine levels of PCBs and DDY. Unfortunately, even banned chemicals remain in the environment for a long time.<\/p>\n

There are great sidebars that help explain things like why orcas are black and white, and the Samish naming ceremony for the whales.
\nThere\u2019s a great chapter about Tucker, the detection dog who works with the whale scientists. Tucker’s job: to locate whale scat.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of unanswered questions, but it\u2019s not too late to make a difference. Check out the Orca Network<\/a> and Whale Research Center<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It’s STEM Friday!<\/a> (STEM<\/strong> is S<\/strong>cience, T<\/strong>echnology, E<\/strong>ngineering, and M<\/strong>athematics)<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2019 Sue Heavenrich <\/a> All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

June is Orca Awareness Month and, at the end of May, Orca scientists celebrated the birth of a new calf to the J-pod off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. So the perfect time to share this book (that had found a great hibernation space at the bottom of my book basket!). The Orca Scientists … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Orca Scientists”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stem-friday-round-up"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pamhGQ-6O","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":660,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/the-great-shark-rescue\/","url_meta":{"origin":422,"position":0},"title":"The Great Shark Rescue","author":"@roberta3","date":"January 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"If you are looking for a middle grade title to inspire STEM students, look no further than The Great Shark Rescue: Saving the Whale Sharks by Sandra Markle. Whale sharks are not only the biggest fish in the world, but also the coolest sharks because they feed by vacuuming up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/shark-rescue.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1386,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/full-of-life-exploring-earths-biodiversity\/","url_meta":{"origin":422,"position":1},"title":"Full of Life: Exploring Earth’s Biodiversity","author":"Anastasia Suen","date":"October 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Full of Life: Exploring Earth's Biodiversity by Isabel Thomas (Author) and Sara Gillingham (Artist) @ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound Booktalk: This guide to Earth's Tree of Life - the reference tool used by scientists to organize the incredible variety of living things on our planet - helps young readers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fulloflife-960x838.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fulloflife-960x838.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/fulloflife-960x838.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":812,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/dream-big-little-scientists-a-bedtime-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":422,"position":2},"title":"Dream Big, Little Scientists: A Bedtime Book","author":"Anastasia Suen","date":"July 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound Dream Big, Little Scientists: A Bedtime Book by Michelle Schaub (Author) and Alice Potter (Illustrator) Booktalk: Twelve kids. A dozen bedtimes. Endless sweet ways to say goodnight with science! This bedtime story for budding scientists introduces eleven branches of science. Snippet: https:\/\/youtu.be\/gsCZvnZ42tI See the book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/dreambiglittlescientists-595x583.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/dreambiglittlescientists-595x583.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/dreambiglittlescientists-595x583.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":181,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/the-truth-about-series-by-maxwell-eaton-iii\/","url_meta":{"origin":422,"position":3},"title":"The Truth About Series by Maxwell Eaton III","author":"@roberta3","date":"December 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Some authors have all the luck. Maxwell Eaton III had not only one, but three books nominated for a 2018 Cybils award. Maybe it helps that they are a series. In The Truth About Dolphins, readers learn how dolphins are different from fish and discover some of the different kinds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/dolphins.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":63,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/something-rotten-a-fresh-look-at-roadkill\/","url_meta":{"origin":422,"position":4},"title":"Something Rotten, A Fresh Look at Roadkill","author":"Sue Heavenrich","date":"October 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Something Rotten, A Fresh Look at Roadkill,\u00a0 by Heather L. Montgomery; illus. by Kevin O'Malley 176 pages; ages 9-11. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2018 It\u2019s Halloween \u2013 a perfect time to read about what scientists are learning from roadkill. Author, Heather Montgomery warns that her book is not for squeamish souls;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Something-Rotten-199x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":712,"url":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/baby-loves-scientists\/","url_meta":{"origin":422,"position":5},"title":"Baby Loves Scientists","author":"Anastasia Suen","date":"February 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Baby Loves Scientists by Ruth Spiro (Author) and Irene Chan (Illustrator) Booktalk: Baby loves to explore the world of science! What's next for Baby after learning about physics, engineering, computers, and the natural world? Becoming a scientist of course! Snippet: It's STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "STEM Friday Round-up"","block_context":{"text":"STEM Friday Round-up","link":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/category\/stem-friday-round-up\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/babylovesscientists-595x595.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/babylovesscientists-595x595.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asuen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/babylovesscientists-595x595.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":424,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422\/revisions\/424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asuen.com\/stemfriday\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}