Why do dorsal fins flop over?
There are different theories as to why the dorsal fin flops over, but two are the most likely. 1) The best theory that has come up is a growth spurt. Killer whales were usually caught as calves from the wild. In captivity they would go through a growth spurt where they would shoot up in length, and this includes the dorsal fin. Because killer whales in captivity will spend a lot of time floating a the surface, gravity will pull that fin down and eventually it will be flopped. This happens to both males and females, but the flop is more dramatic in males. 2) The next theory that seems to fit is when the whale continues to swim in one direction for a long time. This would explain the drooping fins that occur to adult whales taken from the wild. One of the other believed reasons as to why the dorsal fins flop over is because of genetics. The problem with this theory is, if that were true, wouldn’t we see more wild orcas with completely collapsed dorsal fins?
