The Whale Lawyer Chapter 4

Now this 15 chapter short story is finihsed so  you might think this is a terrible way to post it, but I am making little changes that will make it more readable and consistsent although not much is being added.  Coming up (next) is the chapter about Orcas which will throw some killer whale facts at you but hopefully in a way not too tedious.  I would mention that the "corporate line" on killer whales is that their intelligence probably equates well with that of a chimpanzee more than a human and you need to remember that this is a work of fiction and as such it uses some fictional elements.  In truth, no one really understands the intelligence of killer whales because their minds are very different from ours and their minds do things which our minds do not, such as echo location.  The basic facts are accurate (chapters 4 and 5) but the conclusions and applications to technologies are only possibilities.

Chapter 4

Hyatt was sitting at his desk, still trying to decide whether he would go through this or not when Guy came into his office to announce that Beth Champee and Brian Koolman were being served coffee by Mary Typesetter, their elderly secretary. “What are they doing here? I think Kooman said he was a marine biologist.”

“You don’t want to know. It’s better you don’t ask.”

When Guy had left and shut the door, Hyatt set his shoulders and unballed his fist he could write.

“The first thing you need to know about whales is that there are two types. There are Baleen whales who have filters instead of teeth and there are Toothed whales. The second thing you need to know is that Orcas, what are commonly referred to as killer whales are neither, although they have the single blow hole associated with Toothed whales.”

“Neither?”

“Technically, they are of the family Delphinidae, that is they are dolphins. The largest dolphin species on earth at this time.”

“Does that matter?”

“Not really, all marine mammals are highly evolved and intelligent,” Beth said.

“I think I know the answer, but why pick the wh...Orcas?”

“They are the easiest, possibly the most intelligent.”

“The biggest brain?”

“No, many whales have larger brains, but it’s really more about brain to body size that seems to matter,” Beth volunteered.

“Actually,” Brian said, speaking over Beth, “It is more about what the brain has and what it doesn’t have. Whale's brains generally are well developed as are dolphins. The Orca’s brain is actually the second biggest, however.. The ‘missing’ part of an Orca’s brain lies in the cells responsible for memory. There are other, more developed parts, such as those responsible for echolocation; but Orcas teach each other behavior and language.”

“Language is important, no it’s critical.” Hyatt said this firmly. If this whale or dolphin or fish couldn’t do what Koolman said, he would look like a fool. Actually, he’d look like a fool no matter what happened.

“This whale is special and the way that Don Wordsmith, the trainer who died, worked with him was even more special.”

“But he is dead?”
“There is another trainer, Truly Lightheart. She knows everything he did, worked with him and is willing to help.”