Tillikum's dorsal fin

I love Tilly! Tilly is the world's largest orca in captivity weighing in at about 12,300 lbs. His dorsal fin is curled over as a result of being in captivity. Only orcas in captivity have shown this phenomenon. Studies show that this is due to lack of activity and exercise. Orcas have the entire ocean as their jungle to play in when they are in the wild.

Tilly was used to the ocean for a while until he was captured and has since had a MUCH smaller home. Thus he is not able to swim as free and far as he was in the wild. At Seaworld and other marine exhibits, all the orcas with straight dorsal fins were usually born into captivity and thus have adapted to their small homes as their bodies know not of the great blue sea.

Another study shows that these orcas that exhibit the curled fin is due to the fact that their tanks are round, and they are forced to swim in small circles compared to the open sea.

A theory that I support heavily is the idea that orca's dorsal fins collapse when they are limited to swimming in shallow areas. Orcas have hundreds and even thousands of feet of water to dive through in the deep blue sea. However, Shamu's tank is only 36 feet deep, which is not even comparable. Their fins are erect so that they are aerodynamic enough to dive the deep depths of the ocean. I suppose that their fins collapse when they are restrained from diving deeper than 36'.

This is yet another sign that keeping orcas in captivity is unnatural, unhealthy and inhumane. They belong in their natural environments so they can be in their natural forms and dwell in the pods that they belong. Seaworld and other orca aquariums need to give up the shamu showbiz and find a new exhibit.

This is what orcas SHOULD look like, in their natural habitat. Courtesy of my favorite artist Robert Wyland, world renowned for his Whaling Walls, a huge effort to create awareness and appreciation around the planet of these giant yet miraculous creatures.