Hello everybody! Ashyak here with another tutorial for ya! (Two tutorials in one day?!)
This time, instead of lions, I'll be focusing on showing you how to make any cetacean, from blue whales to orcas and showing you their basic behaviors and diets!
For those who didn't know, Cetaceans are the group that include Odontoceti (toothed whales) and Mysticeti (baleen whales). The most popular ones are bottlenose dolphins (from the toothed whales) and humpbacks (from the baleen whales)!
MysticetiMysticeti, or baleen whales, are named so because of their large fronds of baleen. Baleen takes place of teeth and acts as a filter. Baleen whales may cruise with their mouth open or may take large gulps of water at a time (without swallowing the water). The water is then forced out through the baleen by their tongue and krill and fish are left behind to eat. Baleen whales also have two external nostrils opposed to the one external nostril found in toothed whales. Baleen whales also lack a melon, meaning that they do not use echolocation to maneuver around their surroundings. Probably the most notable feature about baleen whales is that some-namely the humpback whales- use sound to communicate. Humpbacks are most well known for their singing voice as they are the most vocal and have the most varied songs. And believe it or not, just like how people change the layout of their music, humpbacks do too! These intricate songs are used to attract mates and are not used within pods. They do, however, have their own speaking voices to communicate with their young and others around them.
Putting a butt-tuft on your character can help accentuate the whale look by making it appear as if your character has a dorsal fin.
This is the average rorqual (throat-groove) whale build. Rorquals include blue, humpback, sei, minke, fin, Bryde's, and Omura's whale. This build is also okay for grey whales and pygmy right whales, although they are not rorquals. (Note that grey whales do have the same settings except they're thicker and need a shorter snout, while PRW's are thinner.)
Here's an example of some coloring and settings to have on yours. As an example, I made a humpback whale!
This is the build normally found in all other baleen whales, such as right whales and bowhead whales.
Here are some coloring and settings to make your character as so it stands out! For example, I am making a bowhead whale.
OdontocetiOdontoceti, or toothed whales, are the most common and are the largest branch of cetaceans. Odontoceti includes porpoises, dolphins, beaked whales, and sperm whales. Toothed whales are well known experts at echolocation. While mysticeti sing to communicate, odontoceti use squeaks and clicks to form images and maneuver around in the murky water. Echolocation is also used to stun fish or other prey. Toothed whales are active hunters, meaning they will search for their prey instead of eating whatever comes to them. Unlike baleen whales, toothed whales only have one external nostril. Where's the other nostril, you might ask? The answer? In it's melon! The melon is basically a sack filled with liquid that helps to amplify sound. Without the melon, they could not echolocate. The largest toothed whale is the sperm whale. The largest dolphin is the orca, and the second largest toothed whale is a Baird's beaked whale; some have been found to grow to lengths up to 43 feet!
Putting a butt-tuft on your character can help accentuate the whale look by making it appear as if your character has a dorsal fin.
Here are the settings found in dolphins with longer beaks, such as bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, humpback dolphins, and river dolphins. River dolphins will be smaller and will have longer muzzles and larger foreheads as well as smaller eyes, though. Dolphins like rough-toothed dolphins will have a smaller forehead and longer muzzle.
Here are some settings I put my character at. I am making a bottlenosed dolphin, as they are the most recognizable and most popular of all dolphins.
Here are some colorings that would look great for a bottlenose!
*Note that the pink underbelly is usually found in females and males tend to be a lighter grey/white.
Looking for something else? Use this body for short-beaked dolphins such as Fraser's dolphins, pacific white sided dolphins, dusky dolphins, or orcas!
*Note that I have the size setting to fit an orca. Other dolphins are much smaller and will need the size bumped down.
Here are some settings to put yours as! As an example, I am making an orca.
*Note that I have the settings geared towards orcas. The back mane represents their tall dorsal fin. Pacific white sided dolphins and other LAGs (Lagenorhynchuses) will have the butt-tuft.
These markings are great for orcas!
Time to color your orca!
This body is found in beaked whales and right whale dolphins.
*Note that right whale dolphins do not have a dorsal fin and will not have the butt-tuft.
Here are some settings to put your character as.
Here, I have created a southern right whale as an example.
*Note that I did accidentally leave on the dorsal fin. OOPS!
Prefer something smaller? Look here! These settings will fit dolphins such as a Commersion dolphin, Maui dolphin, or any porpoise.
Here are some settings I like putting mine as. Floppy ears add for a more innocent, more smaller and more fragile look.
As an example, I am making the critically endangered (and functionally extinct) vaquita. These are an example of markings most commonly found on these little guys.
Here are examples of the settings I put the colors on.
Here's a Commersion dolphin!
Perhaps you're looking for something more easier. If so, belugas might be your thing! Here are the settings for making one.
Some settings for a beluga whale.
And here's the finished product!
*Note that the textures I have downloaded makes the nose appear pink. It's not.
Looking for something mystical? Take the beluga settings and ramp up the nose and you got a narwhal!
Narwhals need markings! It may look ugly, but note their scientific name literally means "corpse whale." Think about that next time you feel bad. xD
For the first time ever, we have an animal with a mandatory item! Wow! The only reason you shouldn't have a horn is if your character is young or is a female, as their horns don't usually erupt.
Time for coloring!
Want something more rare? Check this out! This body fits pygmy and dwarf sperm whales.
Oh yikes... That guy looks sad af. All jokes aside, I have made a dwarf sperm whale as an example. I added goblin ears to accentuate the misplacement of these creatures and I have also added cheek tufts to represent their "gill" markings.
*Note that pygmy sperm whales are more grey in color than dwarfs.
Coloring! The pallet of dwarf sperm whales is bleak and bland.
Looking for something larger? Like.. something
huge? Well look no further, as this is the build for sperm whales!
*Note I accidentally made it too small. Ramp up the length all the way.
Ghoul ears add for a fearsome appearance while arm tufts add on for size. The back tuft represents the ridge found on sperm whales.
Time to color him! Sperm whales are most often grey or grey-brown, but some are more black in color and some are white (ie. Moby Dick)!
HuntingThis is about how you hunt. It will cover both Mysticeti and Odontoceti and their hunting habits.
MysticetiYou will usually trail the ocean in search of fish or plankton. If you are a rorqual, you will most likely herd fish into a ball known as a bait ball and then you will break the surface of the water, scooping the fish into your mouth.
If you are not, you may just swim along, vacuuming up anything in your path- fish, plankton, or algae.
OdontocetiYou will probably hunt in pods and do cooperative hunting. Fish is your main go-to. If you're a beaked whale or beluga, squid might be on the menu. If you are a dolphin, you might be able to use sea sponges as tools to protect your snout so you can prod around in the sand and not risk being stung.
If you are an orca, recognize the three main types (ecotypes) in the Northern Hemisphere- residents (fish-eaters), transients (mammal-eaters), and offshores (shark and rough fish-eaters). In the northern hemisphere, you also have two other ecotypes that are listed- Type 1 Eastern North Atlantic (fish-eaters, possible shark-eaters) and Type 2 Eastern North Atlantic (whale-eaters). If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, there are multiple types to look out for- Antarctic Type A (whale-eaters, sometimes eats seals), Pack Ice (seal-eaters), Gerlache (food unknown, but seen to eat penguins), Ross Sea (fish-eaters), and Subantarctic (prey unknown but seen to eat fish). Most fish-eaters will herd fish into a bait ball and feed by lunging into the bait ball. Transients will stalk their prey and toss them around before eating them (If you are an orca from Patagonia, you will beach yourself to eat sea lions). If you are an offshore, you will often stun sharks by rolling them over and then proceed to eat their liver first. If you are an Antarctic seal-eating type, you will wash waves over ice floes to throw off seals.
And on other news, for the first time ever we know the use for a narwhal's horn! Hunting! If you are a narwhal, you will smack fish with your horn to stun them before eating them.
Belugas do not lunge at their prey first thing. They actually are believed to vacuum them in before attacking them. Weird, right?
ThreatsThreats are obstacles your character will face. It can be something minor like swallowing a plastic bead or something like whaling. Here, I will be discussing the threats that your character will face if you decide to become a whale. Note that your character is not invincible to damage. If enough harm is caused, it may cause your character to beach themselves as a way out.
Pollution- This is the most common threat you will face. Pollution can be something as simple as a bag drifting through the water or as major as an oil spill. In your lifetime, you will most likely swallow one man-made object. Rorquals will swallow plastic bags while filtering, as they will get stuck in baleen and will be objected as a fish. Fish hooks are also swallowed, and may cause more damage than a bag (ie. septic shock). Netting can get wrapped around you, and if you happen to encounter a trawl net, you can get wrapped up and drown. If enough harm is caused, your character might end up beaching themselves as a solution.
*Sound- Sound is categorized as pollution, too. Sound pollution is one of the most common reasons for beaching. It is found in the form of oil drilling and military bomb tests. Unfortunately, it is not always detectable by the whale. Your character, like in real life, may get used to the sound and may not notice the harm it causes. Sound pollution will damage your character's ears and most beached whales have been found with destroyed eardrums and the like.
Starvation- If you are a resident orca, this is the most common threat you will face. A lack of fish or an absence of plankton or algae will spell certain doom if you do not migrate. Know and research what weather patterns cause a die-off of food and what man-made threats may also cause a lack of food.
Whaling- This is probably the most destructive threat out there. Believe it or not, drive fisheries do exist- the most famous being the Taiji dolphin drives. If your character lives in an area where there are humans, there is also a huge looming threat of whaling. Dolphins in places like the Faroe islands or Taiji are driven by boats and are forced to strand, where they will then be slaughtered and babies sold to marine parks (not all, though). However, not all whaling is evil and not all is commercial. If you are a bowhead, you may be a target for Native populations. They, however, have a strict limit on how many whales are killed each year, none are sold to captivity, and all are killed quickly. If you have the stomach for it, read up on whale drives and Inuit whale hunts. If you're looking for a documentary, The Cove is a good starter. Be warned however, it is extremely gruesome and heartbreaking.
Captivity- This can be a threat depending on whose side you're looking at. Yes, it can be used for conservation. But there are also unnecessary drives for captivity. Take for example, the orca drives that got orcas to the Moskavarium. The Russian beluga drives are also another common problem that- yes- is occurring here in America. Even if you're procap, when roleplaying it is best to have a neutral stance on captivity. In other words, don't be all like "oohhh I'm so stressed 24/7 I'm gonna bang my head on the wall brb" but also don't be all like "oohh yaayyy this is so fun! I'm so happy there's not a cloud in the sky!!!" It is best to acknowledge that yes, dolphins can be stressed in captivity but also that it can be good for their species. Think something like "oh this place is a little barren I wish it had more stuff in it but hey! Another dolphin! I can't really understand them but it will be fine. What's this? A show? Oh I don't like the loud crowds but hey I actually don't mind doing this!"
PlayPlay is an important part of a dolphin's lifestyle. Play behaviors consist of porpoising (leaping out of the water while swimming), breaching (launching body out of the water), and various other behaviors. Play behaviors are different in wild dolphins than the typical play behaviors of a captive dolphin. Captive dolphins often do tail walks, spins, backflips, and breaches for fun. Captive dolphins are also more likely to actively search out human contact than wild ones. Captive dolphins will often receive rub-downs (when the trainer pets the dolphin) or other forms of contact.
Wild dolphins may bow surf for fun. Bow surfing is when they ride the waves created by boats. Wild dolphins will also do breaches, porpoises, and twists and spins for fun.
CommunicationDolphins specialize in clicks and whistles to communicate. Different sounds mean different things.
Dolphins and whales also breach and slap the water as a way of communication. In the wild, a humpback's breach can mean it's trying to get off parasites, is excited, or is trying to alert other whales of their presence. Humpbacks will slap their pectorals on the water as a form of communication. Orcas will slap their tails and pecs on the water to tell others that they are dominant or that they are nearby. Humpbacks and other baleen whales will sing to call to potential mates.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Now, you can have a better idea on how to roleplay a cetacean correctly and hopefully there will be more cetaceans around here!
My main character is Kissimi, who is a wholphin. I mainly hang out around Bonfire and other beach-y areas. Come join me!
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