The Killer Facts About Orcas
The Killer Facts About Orcas
2. Though killer whales, also called orcas, they are considered whales by most people, they are actually members of the dolphin family. Killer whales are excellent hunters that a wide range of prey, including fish, seals, and big whales such as blue whales. Despite their hunting of other animals, free-ranging killer whales have never been reported killing a human.
3. It is the largest member of the dolphin family.
4. Killer whales have one of the most diverse diets of all marine mammals. Killer whales have been known to eat birds, sea turtles, penguins, seals, porpoises, and large baleen whales.More commonly, killer whales can be seen eating fish such as salmon, and cod, and squid. A killer whales diet is largely dependent on where the animal lives and what food it is available in that environment.
5. All whales have babies, of course. Killer Whale calves are enormous. They can be as big as 8 feet 10 inches long and weigh 300 pounds! Baby killer whales are called calves. They live with there mom until they are old.
6. Killer Whales can be called the Orinus Orca.
7. Also known as the killer whale, the orca is the largest species of dolphin. Adult males often measure well over 20 feet long and weigh 8,000 to 12,000 pounds. That's at least two times the weight of the great white shark! Some orcas are even bigger, with the record holder being 32 feet and 22,000 pounds.
8. Size isn't the only trait that makes this species the greatest hunter in the sea. Orcas are also highly intelligent. Their brain is the second heaviest among marine mammals. (The sperm whale has the biggest brain of all the sea mammals.) Orcas are intelligent, curious, and playful. They even communicate with each other using their own language. Their intelligence makes hunting easier because they can outsmart their prey.
9. The orca lives and hunts in a family group called a pod. When the pod works together, orcas can catch and eat any marine animal including sharks, penguins, seals, sea lions walruses, porpoises, and even giant whales.
10. Because of their cooperative hunting skills, orcas are often referred to as the "wolves of the sea".
11. A pod is formed when a female killer whale gives birth to a baby killer whale.which means that the oldest female is the leader because all the other members are her children and her children's children.A pod is made up of 4 to 40 killer whales.
12. Other traits that help their hunting ability are their keen senses. An orca has excellent eyesight, both underwater and above. If it's hunting a seal, for example, an orca could see it clearly if it's on an ice floet above water, or if it's diving under the ocean's surface. They also have great hearing, which allows them to locate prey from far away.
13. They even have an extra sense that humans don't have echolocation. When it uses this extra sense, an orca sends out high-pitched clicking sounds. When it hears the sounds echo off an object the orca knows the object's location, shape, speed and size.
14. The great white shark and giant squid are certainly feared by many people, but orcas are definitely the best hunters in the oceans. There are no documented cases of a wild orca purposely attacking a human being. Even though they may be the fiercest hunter in the sea, they don't consider humans their prey.
16. Adult females can give birth to a calf every 3 to 10 years. The calf is 6 to 8 feet long and weighs around 400 pounds.
17. Orcas are not fish! They are mammals because they breathe air, are warm-blooded, and give birth to live young.
18. People have been killing killer whales since the 12th century. They have died from oil spills, and garbage in the ocean. Also toxins like radiation was spilled in the ocean.
19. The brain of an adult orca may weigh 12-15 pounds, or about four times the size of human brains.
20. Like all whales, orcas are voluntary breathers and need to be at least “half awake” at all times. Their brain has the ability to split activities so they sleep with half their brain while the other half keeps the body still breathing.
21. Orcas can swim up to 30 mph and can travel 75-100 miles or more per day.
22. Both male and female offspring typically remain with their maternal family for life.
23. Genetic evidence indicates that mating occurs between, and not within, pods.
25. The J, K and L pods, which frequent Puget Sound, are known as the southern resident community.
26. Each orca in the Southern Resident community is photographically identified each year by the shape of the dorsal fin, as well as shape of gray markings, called the “saddle patch” behind the dorsal fin.
27. Several pods may belong to a clan that shares certain vocalizations, and several clans may associate as a community.
28. Often when pods of the same clan or community meet after separation, they physically intermingle and engage in vigorous surface activity, accompanied by almost nonstop vocalizations.
29. Communities remain apart from one another, generally staying in separate habitats and using completely distinct vocalizations.
30. A wide variety of types of orcas have been observed, including “residents,” which eat only fish, “transients,” which eat only mammals, and “offshores,” found several miles from shore, but not all orca communities worldwide may fit those descriptions.
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