What are some killer whale facts?

Answer 1

Killer whales

Most of us, at least once in our lives have heard about killer whales. The ultimate apex predator. They have many names Orca, Grampus, Black fish and are referred to often as "Wolves of the sea" Their Latin name is Orcinus Orca The word orca comes from the word Orcus. Orcus was the roman god of death and the underworld and then Orcinus comes from the word pot bellied and round so Orcinus orca means the round pot bellied creature who belongs to the god of the underworld.

Scientists usually call orcinus orca a killer whale but the term orca is generally used by the public. The killer whale's name is often misleading though, this is because a killer whale is not a whale. The killer whale is a species of oceanic dolphin and is in the group Delphinidae. So you might be wondering Why do we call the Orcinus Orca a killer whale when they are not whales? Well the answer is simple. We call them killer whales because whalers often see them prey on whales! Yes killer whales do prey on whales. most commonly they try to feed off of grey whale calves but they have been seen trying to take down blue whales! So they were not called Killer whales because they are whales that kill humans killer- whales. They are known as killer whales because of their ferocious habit of preying on whales and dolphins. So first they were probably called whale killers but over time their name has been changed round to Killer whales. Killer whales hold most of the records for the species in the group Delphinidae; they are the fastest and the biggest dolphin and they are also the most balanced dolphin to. But we will be going onto that later but now you know why the killer whale is called a killer whale.

The killer whale is the largest species of dolphin. Males can measure from 6 to 9.7 metres and females usually about 5-7 metres. The dorsal fin of the whale (The big fin on its back) can be up to 1.8 metres on males but the female killer whale's dorsal fin is slightly smaller and measures 90cm on average. Female killer whales weighs on average 3.3- 6 tons and the male killer whale can weigh up to 8.8 tons!

Killer whales need to eat about 227kg of food everyday. Killer whales are very opportunistic hunters and will eat anything fish, sharks, Birds and even whales! Male killer whales do not live as long as female killer whales. Male killer whales live for about 20-30 years so female killer whales live about 50-60 years but they have been seen living from 80- 90 in the wild. In captivity killer whales rarely live past 20. Killer whales have the largest flippers of all dolphins and in older males the pectoral fins can measure up to 1/5 of the killer whales body. Killer whales Have lots of teeth. They have 48--52 teeth on average the teeth are about 7.2 cm in length and in diameter about 2.5 cm. A female killer whale will give birth every 3-10 years. Killer whales have a gestation period of about 15-17 months the calf will stay dependent on its mother for 2 years a baby killer whale can measure up to 2.5 metres and they can drink 150 gallons of milk per day and can consume 2-10% of their body weight on a daily basis a calf weighs about 180 kg but it will stay with the pod for its whole life. We group killer whales into two groups transient and resident whales eat fish while transient whales eat mammals other differences are very subtle. Killer whales are the fastest species of oceanic dolphin with a top speed of about 35 mph usually when swimming normally they go about 5-10 mph . The way they are adapted to move their body is clever. In their muscles there is a sort of spring like structure. When the whale moves its tail up the springs will compress and then when the whale brings its tail down the springs will release giving the whale momentum. An adult killer whale can weigh an average of ten tons. Killer whales do not chew their food instead they swallow it whole the killer whales teeth are for catching its prey and killing it. There are about 5 different ecotypes of killer whale.Killer whales can hold their breath up to 20 minutes but usually dive for about 3-4 mins.

Killer whales are the fastest species of dolphin. Their only threat is humans. The killer whale has the second largest brain of all dolphin species and boasts many human qualities and complex emotions that humans do not have. The killer whale's brain is about 5 times bigger than the average human brain.

Killer whales have very complex hunting techniques some have learnt to beach themselves in order to catch seals from the land others have learnt to charge at ice floes and when they do it creates a massive wave that causes the seals to fall. As said earlier the killer whale will hunt anything. They have even been seen trying to take down fully grown blue whales! But in the wild there has never been any attacks on humans. Killer whales swallow their food whole; they don't chew it. :)