Editing Guidelines

CaptiveOrca Wiki has a few editing guidelines that are required to be used when you contribute to any page in this wiki.

This is not completely finished, however you are free to start editing. Not all pages are available to edit!

Basic Rules

This is the basics!! Simple things that you should always be using.

• Dates - Dates are always written in word form. The day comes first, followed by the month and then the year. Example: 9th of July, 1991. 1st of September, 2001.
• Grammar - One of the most important things, please use appropriate grammar. Try using your search engine for spelling or simple grammar mistakes.
• Word Usage - Don't repeat words constantly. Replace the whale's name with she/he/etc. so it does not get repetitive. Repeating phases is not allowed.
• Other Sources/Websites - An extremely common issue, do not copy off of other websites or sources in direct wordage!!! This problem has been used on the wiki before and it is very inappropriate. Use correct sources, like NMFS Inventory Reports or even newspaper archives. If you firmly believe that the information provided to you is accurate, please retype it yourself.

Code Names

Code names or basic IDs for killer whales can be hard to understand. Here is the breakdown:

• The first part of the ID always stands for the park. To see a list of code names, click here. If the individual did not live at a facility, abbreviate(in 3 letters) the location they died at/facility that rescued them. Example: SWC, KSW, CIW.
• Following the park, add -(dash), then OO(double o) for "Orcinus Orca", then another -.
• Next, add the whales "status" of how it arrived in captivity:
  1. B - Birth, captive born
  2. C - Captured, wild caught
  3. R - Rescue, not a stranding
  4. S - Stranding/stranded
  5. U - Unborn(Miscarriages/Stillbirths/Fetuses)
• Directly after the status comes the year the whale entered captivity. Use the last two numbers(example: 68, 71, 03, 15).
• The last part of the ID depends on the status and year. If this whale was the third youngest captured with others on a date, then its ending code would be 03. If the whale was the only captive birth at that park(during that year), then it would be 01.

Intro Paragraphs

Intro paragraphs are all very similar and feature a certain template. The first sentence introduces the whale as following:

• Name is/was a/an age gender ecotype killer whale that lives/lived at facility(at death/currently)
• Example: Katerina was a 10 year old female Bigg's transient-Icelandic killer whale that lived at SeaWorld San Antonio.
• Example: Ulises is a 45 year old male Icelandic killer whale that lives at SeaWorld San Diego.
• Example: Tuar is a 24 year old male Icelandic-southern resident killer whale that lives at SeaWorld San Antonio.

The second sentence introduces the whale with their birthday/date of capture/rescue/etc.(parents would follow if captive born individual), then followed by the location of such(where they were born/captured/etc.). If the whale is deceased, then follow up in the same sentence with their date and cause of death.

• He/she/they were born/captured/etc. on the date(if captive born: to mother and father) in/at location(if deceased: and died on the date from cause of death).
• Example: She was born on the 4th of November, 1988 to Katina and Kanduke at SeaWorld Orlando and died on the 5th of May, 1999 from bacterial pneumonia and suppurative bleeding.
• Example: He was captured on the 7th of November, 1980 in Reyðarfjörður, Iceland.
• Example: He was born on the 22nd of June, 1999 to Kalina and Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando.

The third sentence is optional. This portion features anything noticeable about the whale that others will recognize, such as their breeding, dominance/matriarch of the pod, staring in a film, etc.

• Name is noticeable for example.
• Name is example.
• Example: Takara is one of most successful female breeding killer whales in captivity and is the matriarch of the SeaWorld San Antonio pod.
• Example: Tilikum is known for the deaths of three people and staring in the documentary film Blackfish, as well as siring the most killer whale calves in captivity.
• Example: Sharkane is the most successful female breeding killer whale in Europe.
• Example: Amaya is the great, great granddaughter of Katina, making her the youngest of the longest generation of killer whales born in captivity.

Templates

Templates are used on every profile for an orca. If you are editing a template, do not replace information that is already there if it is correct. Please use the right formatting below(templates are in source editor formats).

• Whale Names - Used on basically every profile, there are certain categories that a whale may fall into depending on its circumstances. Put the name and then the "status" of the whale next to it in parentheses. Then add the year this event happened(year of birth, capture, death, rescue, etc.).
• Status - Status can be sorted into many different categories. For the stats section(not for the family tree), make sure to add "Alive," before the status and year that can be seen below(example: Alive, Captured 2014). When adding whales for family trees, see the following examples:
  1. Captures - If the whale is alive and was captured from the wild, use the term captured instead of "caught from the wild". Example: Katina (Captured 1978). Morgan and Kshamenk are not wild caught.
  2. Births - Because there are many orcas born in captivity, the term "born" is used to tell the viewer that this orca is alive and was born in captivity. Example: Orkid (Born 1988).
  3. Deceased - When an orca dies in captivity, it is considered a deceased whale. This does not fit under the category of stillbirths, miscarriages, or deceased unborn fetuses. Example: Shamu (Deceased 1971).
  4. Stillbirths - If a killer whale calf is born dead in captivity, it is considered a stillbirth. However, use the term "born deceased" instead. This then goes to the viewer that the calf was born in captivity, but was dead when they arrived. Example: SWF-00-U9701 (Born Deceased 1997).
  5. Miscarriages - Because calves born in captivity as a miscarriage, then they have been "miscarried". Example: SWT-00-U9001 (Miscarried 1990).
  6. Deceased Unborn Fetuses - When a mother dies while pregnant, the calf is listed as an unborn fetus. If a whale was never born when the mother died during labor, than it would count as a deceased unborn fetus. Because the mother died, the unfortunate calf also died with it. This is the term you would use for any calves who died before they were born(the mother must have died while pregnant with this calf). Example: SWT-00-U0101 (Died w/Mother 2001).
  7. Rescues - When a orca is rescued(and is still alive) but did not strand(found on a beach, stranded), it is considered just a rescue. Example: Morgan (Rescued 2010). Kshamenk's rescue is considered a stranding.
  8. Strands - This can only happen if an orca(still alive) was found a beach or low area(stranded). Although this is considered a rescue, please use stranded. Example: Kshamenk (Stranded 1992). Morgan did not strand and is considered only a rescue.
  9. Artificial Insemination & Inbred - If an individual is inbred or was conceived through artificial insemination, only include it if the whale is alive. Example: Makani (Born 2013 via AI), Keijo (Born 2013, Inbred)