biology

Ingrid Visser (biologist)

Ingrid Visser (biologist) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ingrid Visser (biologist) rather than just read about it. In short: Ingrid Natasha Visser (born 20 February 1966) is a New Zealand marine biologist who studies orcas. She regularly lectures on the subject aboard cruise ships, especially in Antarctica, and has been featured in several documentaries about orcas.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Ingrid Natasha Visser (born 20 February 1966) is a New Zealand marine biologist who studies orcas. She regularly lectures on the subject aboard cruise ships, especially in Antarctica, and has been featured in several documentaries about orcas.

Early life Visser was born in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. Her parents were Dutch immigrants who moved to New Zealand in the 1950s. They were both nationalised as New Zealanders after she was born. Between June 1982 and November 1986, Visser sailed with her parents and sister aboard a 17-metre (56 ft) yacht around the world. The trip covered over 50,000 nautical miles (93,000 km) and visited more than 40 countries.

Education Visser holds three university degrees: a Bachelor of Science (Massey University), a Masters of Science, and a Doctorate of Philosophy (both the University of Auckland). Visser has been working with orca (Orcinus orca, also known as killer whales) since 1992 and completed her PhD in 2000, the first scientific study of orca in New Zealand waters.

Scientific work

Her research on orca has been published in international scientific journals, since 1998, and many of these publications are available on the Orca Research Trust website. In 2002 Visser's research was instrumental in the New Zealand Government's reclassification of New Zealand orcas from "Common" in the New Zealand Threat Classification System to "Nationally Critical". This is the equivalent status of "Critically Endangered" in the internationally recognised IUCN Red Data listing.

Publications She has published numerous popular articles and her photographs have appeared in magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, New Zealand Geographic, and An Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Visser has set up the Orca Research Trust, the Antarctic Killer Whale Identification Catalogue and was a co-founder of the Punta Norte Orca Research non-profit organisations all focusing on orca research. She also set up Adopt an Orca to facilitate fund raising and public awareness. Visser has written an autobiography, Swimming with Orca, which was a finalist in the Environmental category of the New Zealand Montana Book Awards, and two children's books (I Love Killer Whales and The Orca). The latter has been translated into Māori and is currently in press as a bilingual English/Spanish publication. Visser works as a guide on a variety of eco-tourism adventures, from swimming with whales to visiting Antarctica aboard cruise ships. She is also a public speaker.

Selected publications

Orca (Orcinus orca) in New Zealand waters (Ph.D. Dissertation). Antarctic peninsula killer whales (Orcinus orca) hunt seals and a penguin on floating ice. Marine Mammal Science. Cookie Cutter Shark (Isistius sp.) Bites on Cetaceans, with Particular Reference to Killer Whales (Orca) (Orcinus orca). Aquatic Mammals. Stranding, resighting, and boat strike of a killer whale (Orcinus orca) off New Zealand. Aquatic Mammals.

Other work

Visser is a member of the Australia & New Zealand branch of The Explorers Club and continues to travel the world in search of orca. She published the first manuscript on Papua New Guinea orca, and returns regularly to Walindi Plantation Resort to conduct field research there. She serves as Chair of the Free Morgan Foundation, an organization involved in efforts to free captive orca Morgan in Europe, and has appeared in court in relation to those efforts. In September 2010, she co-founded Whale Rescue, an organisation of volunteers who provide logistical and practical expertise and equipment for rescuing cetaceans. In June 2017, she served as a witness to a Senate committee on Fisheries and Oceans in the Senate of Canada in favour of Bill S-203, which would make it illegal to keep cetaceans and whales in captivity in Canada.

Documentaries Visser has appeared in and contributed to documentaries featuring her research with orcas. IMDb lists some of her work:

Discovery Channel's "The Orca: Killers I have Known" [1] (1997) Animal Planet's "Untamed & Uncut: Killer Whales Attack a Seal" PBS and Jean-Michel Cousteau's award-winning "Call of the Killer Whale" (2009) BBC Two's "The Woman Who Swims With Killer Whales" (2011–2012) Robert Marc Lehmann "0800 See Orca" (2022)

References

External links Ingrid Visser at IMDb New Zealander of the Year finalist: Dr Ingrid Visser, The New Zealand Herald Orca Research Trust

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ingrid Visser (biologist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ingrid Visser (biologist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ingrid Visser (biologist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ingrid Visser (biologist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ingrid Visser (biologist)

In research: Ingrid Visser (biologist) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ingrid Visser (biologist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ingrid Visser (biologist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1966 births, 21st-century New Zealand biologists, 21st-century women biologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ingrid Visser (biologist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ingrid Visser (biologist) in 20 minutes

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Close the page and write down what Ingrid Visser (biologist) means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Ingrid Visser (biologist) in simple terms?

Why does Ingrid Visser (biologist) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ingrid Visser (biologist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ingrid Visser (biologist).