Do Orcas Have Soft Teeth?

By Mark J. Palmer

One of the worst impacts on captive orcas is the erosion of their teeth. Their teeth can be worn down or broken to the extent that the pulp is exposed. The remedy at that point is to drill out the pulp, essentially a root canal job, so the pulp is not exposed to infection.

However, orcas and other marine mammals are notoriously hard to sedate – they typically stop breathing and die if they are put to sleep to relieve pain. Unlike humans, where breathing is mostly automatic, marine mammals are voluntary breathers who must be awake to regulate their breathing in the ocean. And so a root canal for a captive orca must be excruciating.

Furthermore, the teeth, once drilled, must be flushed daily to prevent food particles from accumulating and causing infections in the mouth. Many orcas and other dolphins are put on antibiotics to prevent these infections or treat existing infections.

Captive orcas frequently, over time, wear their teeth down to the pulp. Their stress levels are high in captivity, and, being very intelligent, they become bored easily. They wear their teeth down or even crack and break them by chewing on concrete in their tanks or on the metal gates that separate the animals from the different tanks.

This has led some in the captivity industry, in response to concerns about the state of captive orca teeth, to claim that orcas have “soft teeth.”

I believe there are probably a fair number of salmon and seals that would beg to differ!

Dr. Ingrid Visser of the New Zealand Orca Research Trust has heard it all before. She notes examples of false claims from the captivity industry such as: “The wear you see on captive orca is the same as what you see in the wild” and “orca teeth are soft so they wear down quickly”.

In one study cited by Dr. Visser, orca teeth were not soft at all – orca teeth were in fact the second-hardest teeth of any of the dolphins. (The hardest teeth belong to the rough-toothed dolphin.)

Dr. Visser herself has collaborated with other colleagues in publishing papers in scientific journals about the damage captivity does to orca teeth.

Captivity is extremely hard on whales and dolphins – intelligent animals confined to small concrete tanks, with tank mates that are not members of their extended families in the wild. Many die at an early age due to stress, caused by sheer boredom, repetitious tricks and routines, and a barren environment.

The answer is to establish large seaside sanctuaries, where retired orcas can be on their own schedule, and can live out their lives as orcas, not as trained circus performers.

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Dr. Ingrid Visser and the Orca Research Trust are on Patreon, where you can contribute to her research on wild and captive orcas and other marine mammals.

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Also, please donate to the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute to support whales and dolphins. We could not do it without your help. Thank you!