Killer Whale‘s Vertebrate Group The killer whale belongs to the vertebrate group of dolphins.
Characteristics They cannot breathe underwater; they have to come to the surface for air. They breathe through blow whole, nostrils, on the top of their head. They use echolocation to find their prey. Orcas can swim up to 30 miles per hour in short bursts. Female Orcas have a sickle-shaped dorsal fin, but in the male it is triangular and reaches almost six feet in height. Orca pods have their own sounds, which help in navigation, detecting prey, or sensing danger. Typical of most whales, Orca calves are born tail first.
Orcas have a lifespan in excess of 50 years.
Predators The killer whale has no natural predators but humans.
Habitat The killer whale’s habitat is the ocean. They are found in all the oceans of the world. They seem to be most dominant in coastal waters. In addition to being found on colder water, they have also been seen in warmer waters such as Hawaii, Australia, the Galapagos Island, the Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico. Even more surprising they have been seen in fresh water rivers around the world such as the Rhine, Thames and the Ebe. They are more abundant in the Arctic and Antarctica and areas of cold-water upwelling. Some of the countries the killer whale mostly exist in are: Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Ecuador, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, France, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Germany, Greenland, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, North, Korea, South, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa ,
United States, Sahara.
Uruguay,
Vietnam
and
Western
Breeding Habits / Reproductive Methods The killer whale’s gestation period is seventeen months. A female may bear a calf every two years. Calves are born underwater. The calf is approximately eight ft long and weighs around 300 1b. to 400 lb. Calves’ size and weight depend on their population and region. Not much is known of the killer whale‘s reproductive methods. Killer whales can breed between the ages of 10 and 18 years and active when the male reaches 20 ft. and the female reaches 16 ft. breeding can occur in any season but it is most common in the summer. In the North Atlantic breeding seems to peak in October and November. In the western North Pacific mating occurs between May and July.
Feeding Habits The killer whales are the top predators in the ocean. In the Antarctic, killer whales eat about 67% fishes, 27% marine mammals and 6% squids. Killer whales in the Bering Sea eat about 65% fishes, 20% squids and 15% marine mammals. The killer whales in the North Pacific food preferences differ. They eat a variety of fish including salmon, cod, flatfish, hake, herring and smelt. Adult killer whales eat approximately 3% to 4% of the body weight in food, per day and calves can eat up to approximately 10 % of their body weight during growth. Killer whales hunt for food in pods. They encircle the prey into a small area and then attack. They swallow their food whole or tear it into large chunks rather than chewing it.
Unusual Characteristics They have no natural predators. There are led by females (in other organism’s group a male leads) usually consisting of five to fifty killer whales. They talk to each other through complex whistles, squeaks and whines. The sound helps the killer whale to recognize their pod because each pod has its own whistles, squeaks and whines. They can recognize their pods from several miles based on the sounds.
Killer Whales
By: Kameisha Maynard Form:1.5
