Old Tom (orca)

For the Northwest Atlantic orca frequently seen in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine, see Old Thom (orca).

Old Tom
Skeleton of Old Tom in the Eden Killer Whale Museum
SpeciesOrca (Orcinus orca)
SexMale
DiedSeptember 1930
Known forCooperation with whalers

Old Tom (c. 1860s/1895 – September 1930) was a male orca (killer whale) who cooperated with and assisted whalers in the port of Eden, New South Wales, on the southeast coast of Australia. Old Tom was believed to be the leader of a pod of orcas which helped the whalers by herding baleen whales into Twofold Bay.[1] This pod was also known as "the killers of Eden".

On 17 September 1930, Old Tom was found dead in Twofold Bay. Before his death, he was thought to be over 90 years old,[2] assisting three generations of the Davidson family whalers. Examination of his teeth indicated he died around age 35,[3] but this method of age determination is now believed to be inaccurate for older animals.[4]

Old Tom's bones were preserved and his skeleton is now on display in the Eden Killer Whale Museum.[5] Old Tom measured 22 feet (6.7 m) and weighed 12,000 pounds (6 tons), with a 3.33 ft (1.01 m) skull and teeth about 5.31 inches (135 mm) long.

Twofold Bay and surrounding area, marking the Davidson family whaling station
  1. ^ Gaskin, David Edward (1972). Whales, dolphins, and seals, with special reference to the New Zealand region. St. Martin's Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-435-62285-4. OCLC 704625.
  2. ^ W. F., Perrin (5–19 September 1978). Growth of Odontocetes and Sirenians: Problems in Age Determination. International Conference on Determining Age of Odontocete Cetaceans (and Sirenians). La Jolla: International Whaling Commission. p. 144.
  3. ^ Mitchell, E. and Baker, A. N. (1980). Age of reputedly old Killer Whale, Orcinus orca, 'Old Tom' from Eden, Twofold Bay, Australia, in: W. F. Perrin and A. C. Myrick Jr (eds.): Age determination of toothed whales and sirenians, pp. 143–154 Rep. Int. Whal. Comm. (Special Issue 3), cited in Know the Killer Whale, The Dolphin's Encyclopaedia. Retrieved January 27, 2010
  4. ^ Olesiuk, Peter F.; Ellis, Graeme M. and Ford, John K. B. (2005). Life History and Population Dynamics of Northern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in British Columbia Archived 2011-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, Research Document 2005/045, Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. p. 33. Retrieved January 27, 2010
  5. ^ Wannan, Bill (1987). A Dictionary of Australian Folklore: Lore, Legends, Myths and Traditions. Viking O'Neil. p. 398. ISBN 978-0-670-90041-1.