User:Mccr0121/sandbox

Subjects
For my subjects I chosen to use:


 * The killer whale
 * The otter
 * Alaska
 * The grizzly bear

Wikipedia Reference Citations

 * "Killer whale." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Sep. 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. killer whale
 * "Otter." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Sep. 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. otter
 * "Alaska." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Sep. 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. Alaska
 * "Grizzly bear." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Sep. 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. grizzly bear

Encyclopaedia Britannica

 * "killer whale." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014.Britannica killer whale page
 * "otter." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. Britannica otter page
 * "Alaska." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. Britannica Alaska page
 * "grizzly bear." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. Britannica grizzly bear page

Text Comparison
I chose these four topics because they are subjects that I am familiar with. I thought that by looking for subjects that I knew a little bit about,it would make it easier to judge the information. My topics were all picked based on having lived in Alaska when I was younger. I started my search by finding each topic on Wikipedia. I originally had five topics in mind, but eliminated kayaking. I was uncertain of the information found on the kayaking page, partly due to the need of editing. The remaining four pages I found were on; killer whales, otters, Alaska and grizzly bears. These were well presented and cited. I found them to be a wealth of information. However I found that even thought they were well labeled, the pages where a little overwhelming. There was a lot of information that could have been separated out into other articles. This could have been done with "see" reference markers. The information would have been easier to go thought if the topics had been separated into better subsections or simplified over all.

The second source I chose, was the Encyclopaedia Britannica. I chose this resource because, it was well organized and is known to be a reputable source of information. Finding my four topics was quick and easy. The original search gave a list of possible articles. The top was the basic article regarding my subject. The following were all articles that included my topic in some way. By separating the information links out, it was easy to read and sort. I preferred the overall lay out of the encyclopaedia Britannica. It was also easier to navigate and read related articles. I liked the fact that the articles were shorter and had related links at the bottom. These links allowed for the reader to get more information without being overwhelmed. It also meant, that the information will turn up when the other subjects is searched. Making it a better cross reference. I also feel that I can trust the information from the Encyclopedia Britannica more so than Wikipedia because it is an encyclopaedia with legitimate authors.

Wikipedia Summary
The killer whale or orca, is apart of the dolphin family. Killer whales vary depending on where they are found. Some of the difference are found in their diet, color markings and social structures. An example of this can be found in the North Pacific which has 3 types of orcas in the area. Resident orcas have a complex family structure, living in pods with a maximum of 40 members, staying in the same pod as their mothers. They feed on fish and occasionally squid. They stay in a set area and are even known to swim with porpoises, other dolphins, seals and sea lions. Transient orcas are found in small groups of 2-6 and eat a diet of marine mammals. They have less of a social structure and more simple vocal communications. Both resident orcas and transient orcas can be found in similar areas, but they do not cross bread or interact in any way. Then, there are offshore orcas, which feed off schooling fish and possibly other marine mammals and sharks. They live in the largest groups, 20-75 orcas, with the largest number being 200 members. Because they vary depending on location and diet, some are on the endangered species list. This is due to things like loss of prey and habitat. Since they vary between types and have no cross breeding, they are seen as an individual sub-species.

Killer whales have a black back, white underside with a white patch behind their eyes and a white or grey saddle marking behind their dorsal fin. The males are larger and can be identified by their straight triangular dorsal fins. A killer whales dorsal fin and saddle patch acts like a finger print being unique to each whale and acting as a form of identification. They have good eyesight and sense of touch and amazing hearing. Females give birth roughly every 5 years and the young have a high mortality rate.

They have been found all over the world and have even been see in freshwater ways. Depending on the pod, their diet can range from: fish, squid, sharks, rays, marine mammals like whales, seals and sea lions and penguins. No matter where they live or what they eat, they are always at the very top of the food chain. They are very intelligent and are able to learn different hunting techniques and are capable of working in teams. They are also very playful and able to problem solve.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Summary
The killer whale is also know as the orca. The orca is the largest member of the dolphin family and is easily identified by its black and white coloring. Males are significantly larger than females, averaging 8 meters and 4.5 tons. Their flippers are 20% of there body length being an average of 2 meters long and 1 meter wide. Older males have tall straight dorsal fins that can be up to 1.7 meters, where as, the younger males dorsal fins are shorter and curved like the females. Females average 7 meters in length and have flippers that are only 11-13% of there body length. They also weight significantly less than males. Orcas can be found all over the world, they eat a diet that ranges from larger fish, squid, penguins and marine mammals, including other whales. While their diet ranges tend to be selective, depending on their region, only eating fish or mammals.

Orcas are very intelligent, communicating by echolocation and are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. They live in a social group of no more that 40 members called a pod. Some pods are on the endangered list. This is because each pod has become genetically divergent having their own calls and social structure. A good example being the 3 different groups from the North Pacific. The resident group is found in the west part of the Berring Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, and eat only fish. The transient group is found in the Gulf of Alaska and in the east parts of both the Aleutian Islands and Berring Sea. The offshore group covers the remaining area of the North Pacific, off the west coast of North America.

Article Comparison
Both articles cover the basic explanation of what a killer whale is. They both define the killer whale as a part of the dolphin family. They also cover that they are commonly know as the orca. There was a consensus that the orcas vary depending on where they live and what they eat. Their is an agreement that there is an unofficial subspecies that seems to be present. They both mention the killer whale's intelligence, social and living structures, size, and communication. The article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica also contained links that brought you to other articles which talked about the feeding and diet of the killer whale. It also had videos, which touched on the fact that the killer whale is at the top of the food chain, and that they are being exposed to many pollutants and toxins.

The Wikipedia article had more information on the killer whale. It was more detailed in the origins of the names and types. Their were different subsections that were every detailed covering their appearance, life cycle and habitat. Wikipedia was much more detailed in their feeding, covering the different types of fish, marine mammals and birds that killer whales are known to eat. The Encyclopedia Britannica did talk about feeding and how different types of orcas have different diets. They also had links which did cover these same point, they just were not in the main body. Wikipedia also went into more detail on the killer whales social structure and behavior. It also talked about how the killer whales vocalizations can vary between communities. The amazing intelligence of these animals was clearer in the Wikipedia article. Explaining how they can learn new things, problem solve and work in groups to achieve success.

All in all, both articles covered the important basics. The information in Wikipedia was much more in depth in each sub subject, having a lot of different examples for types, food and social structure.

Wikipedia
The Wikipedia article was very heavily referenced. The sources ranged from other encyclopedias like: Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, to articles like: Contract report to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The end of the article has two books for further reading. One of these books is Behavioral Biology of Killer Whales which covers a lot of the subjects that are covered in the article. However, this book is from 1986, and therefor not the most recent resource in this subject. While somethings may not have changed, there has been a lot of research and studies done on these amazing animals and therefor should have been something more up to date available. The contributions that I found were for the most part grammatical correction. None of the ones I looked at had any indication that they were a specialist in this field. The links at the bottom were mostly links to smaller organizations doing research or video clips.

Encyclopaedia Britannica
The additional reading for this article had more choices. The sections included the same two as the Wikipedia article but expanded past that including vol. 6 of Handbook of Marine Mammals from 1999. The contributors of this article are also professionals, while they may not be specialist in this field, they know how to find accurate information. The links include other articles from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which allows for more information that is reliable.

Good or Bad
The article found in Encyclopedia Britannica was overall a good article. The subsections were clearly labeled and the thoughts were well organized to coincide with the topics. The topics covered were simple, not delving into to much detail. This made it relatively easy to read and understand. The links provided were all relevant to the topics and provided further details on the subjects.

The Encyclopedia Britannica is recognized as a good source of information. And as mentioned above, their contributors are known professionals. Even though they have a simple article, they have a good list of further reading that can be used to obtain more details. Overall this article was well presented and easy to read.

The article found in Wikipedia was O.K. Their was no notation indicating a need for editing, which was a good first sign. The overall article was very long and detailed. It did contain clear labels of the sub-fields which gives you an idea as to what will be covered. It also gave a large range of topics relating to the killer whale.

The organization of the topics in the sub-fields were not as well presented. In some cases the same topic would be found under two or three sub-filed, without any reference to the other locations with that subject matter. This would have been useful in sections like Types where " as discussed in Feeding"( killer whale) could have been used. Had there been a reference, it would have helped greatly in putting everything into prospective. This overall presentation was messy and hard to read. I honestly would have stopped using it as a reference had it not been the point of the exercise.

The article had minor activity recently, mostly just grammatical edits, and was overall a relatively complete subject. Wikipedia is not a recognized source for information, but a good starting point. This article followed with that. Were I actually doing any research on the killer whale, I would be inclined to scan this article, then move on to something with a more valued reputation.

Other Resources

 * Crance, J.L., Bowles, A,E. and Garver, A."Evidence for vocal learning in juvenile male killer whales, Orcinus orca, from an adventitious cross-socializing experiment."Journal of Experimental Biology  217.8 (2014): p1229-1237. Online Journal.


 * Rankin, S., Archer, F. and Barlow, J." Vocal activity of tropical dolphins is inhibited by the presence of killer whales, Orcinus orca." Marine Mammal Science 29.4 (2013): p679-690. Online Journal.


 * Ferguson, S., Kingsley, M. and Higdon, J. "Killer whale ( Orcinus orca) predation in a multi-prey system." Population Ecology 54.1 (2012): p31-41. Online Journal.
 * Westdal, K., Higdon, J.W. and Ferguson, S.H. " Attitudes of Nunavut Inuit toward Killer Whales (Orcinus orca)." Artic 66.3 (2013): p279-290. Online Journal.


 * Dahlheim, M.E. and White, P.A. "Ecological aspects of transient killer whales Orcinus orca as predators in southeastern Alaska." Wildlife Biology 16.3 (2010): p308-322. Online Journal.


 * Pierre, Richard.Marine Mammals of Nunavut Iqaluit, Nunavut: Teaching and Learning Centre, Qikiqtani School Operations, Department of Education, Nunavut, c2009. Print.


 * Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat.Impact of at sea disposal on resident killer whale (Orcinus orca) critical habitat [electronic resource] : science in support of risk management Nanaimo, B.C. : Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region, c2010. eBook.


 * Barbieri,M.M., Raverty,S., Bradley,H.M., Venn-Watson,S., Ford,J.K.B. and Gaydos,J.K. "Spatial and temporal analysis of killer whale ( Orcinus orca) strandings in the North Pacific Ocean and the benefits of a coordinated stranding response protocol. " Marine Mammal Science 29.4 (2013): pE448-E462. Online journal.


 * Reinhart,N., Ferguson,S., Koski,W., Higdon,J., LeBlanc,B., Tervo,O. and Jepson,P. "Occurrence of killer whale Orcinus orca rake marks on Eastern Canada-West Greenland bowhead whales Balaena mysticetus." Polar Biology 36.8 (2013): p1133-1146. Online Journal.


 * Peterson,M., Mueler,F., Criddle,K. and Haynie,A.C. "Killer Whale Depredation and Associated Costs to Alaskan Sablefish, Pacific Halibut and Greenland Turbot Longliners." PLoS ONE 9.2 (2013): p1-12. Online Journal