Killer Whale Comments (23)
Lauren
"Killer Whales are one of my most favorite animals. I like their markings. " ...
Killer whales, killing in captivity: There have been incidents with Orcas in captivity attacking humans.
KILLER WHALE FACTS
Description
The Killer Whale is the largest member of the dolphin family. It ids mostly black above and white underneath.
Killer Whale
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
or grampus, a large, rapacious marine mammal, Orcinus orca, of the dolphin family. Male killer whales may reach a length of 30 ft (9 m) and females half that length.
Killer whales live their lives in family groups called pods. These pods will range from 5 to 30 animals. These pods are quite stable and can last generations. They consist of an adult male, several breeding females, and various young killer whales.
Killer whales live in groups called pods. Sometimes the members of the pod will hunt together, surrounding large prey and forcing it into a smaller area before attacking.
Killer whales are top-level marine carnivores and opportunistic feeders. Their diet varies depending on the prey available locally as well as on the season.
Killer whales hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals. There appear to be both resident and transient pod populations of killer whales. These different groups may prey on different animals and use different techniques to catch them.
Killer Whale
Order Cetacea : Family Delphinidae : Orcinus orca (Linnaeus) ...
Pygmy killer whale, slender blackfish
Feresa attenuata
These are possibly the most aggressive of cetaceans. Pygmy killer whales caught and housed in dolphinariums have been known to attack humans and other dolphins.
Subspecies
None.
Killer whales may travel alone or live in groups of 2 to more than 50 animals. They feed on fish, squid, marine birds, seals, and even other cetaceans.
Killer whales are easily recognized by their large size and striking black and white coloration.
Killer whales are the worlds most abundent mammal spiecies, next to humans. They live in all oceans around the world but their largest numbers are in the Arctic, Antarctic, and other cold water areas.
A Killer whale word hunt activity - For second and third graders.
Dolphin Theme Page
Information Sheets About Whales
(and other cetaceans) ...
The Killer whale is the largest member of the dolphin family. This distinctive jet-black, brilliant white and grey marked, huge dorsal finned male, makes this animal relatively easy to identify.
The Killer Whale or "Orca" is also known as the "Blackfish", "Grampus", and because large males display a tall dorsal fin, the "Sword Fish".
Description ...
Pygmy killer whales, Feresa attenuata (Gray, 1874), are very similar in appearance to melon-headed whales and to juvenile false killer whales. From a distance it is very difficult to tell these three apart.
False killer whales are members of the toothed whale family Delphinidae, the dolphin family. When seen by humans from a distance, this whale may look like its close relative, the killer whale.
False Killer Whales have an extensive and wide distribution within tropical and warm temperate waters.
The false killer whale's apparently playful nature and fast, acrobatic swimming mean that individuals are frequently encountered skilfully surfing the bow waves of sea vessels, porpoising or leaping clear of the water surface (6) (7).
Photos: Killer Whale Photos - Center for Whale Research
Audio: Orca Audio - Center for Whale Research
Photo credits: Natures Pics (Harbor seal), Tim Knight (Orcas)
Animal silhouettes available to purchase » ...
Why Are Orcas Called "Killer Whales"?
A member of the dolphin family, the orca is one of the largest carnivores in the world. Find out how it got the name "killer whale" at HowStuffWorks.com.
Download Killer Clips ...
Killer Whale
Orcinus orca
These highly intelligent, social whales have developed ways of hunting in groups that are similar to the hunting methods of wolves and lions.
Killer whales live in all the oceans between the Arctic and Antarctic ice packs.
Killer Whale Habits
Behaviour: Orcas (killer whales) live in closely-knit family groups or pods of between 5 and 30 members. A typical small pod consists of an adult male with several adult females and their young.
Killer whales have streamlined, black and white bodies. They are black on the dorsal surface, white extends from the bottom of the chin to just beyond the anus on the ventral surface. There is also a white spot above the eye.
Killer Whales are also the deadliest Whales in the oceans. Everyday, an Orcas needs to eat hundreds of pound of fish, marine mammals (including other whales), squid, sea birds, etc.
Killer Whales have stable pods consisting of related females and their offspring of both sexes. The pods hunts cooperatively.
Dolphins sometimes swim in pods of 100 or more animals.
killer whale (Orcinus orca): Also called orcas, these predatory whales probably feed upon gray seals.
northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis): A gray, gull-like seabird that feeds on fish and other marine creatures in coldwater seas.
Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
Genus Peponocephala
Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephala electra ...
Killer Whale
Orcinus orca
Offshore waters; stranded in Barnstable & Dukes counties; observed in Plymouth & Suffolk County waters.
The killer whale, one of the common dolphins most feared predators, is itself a species of dolphin.
The common dolphin can stay submerged for only 3-4 minutes, while the bottlenose dolphin can remain under water for up to 15 minutes.
False Killer Whale
Pseudorca crassidens
Threatened
Short-finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala macrorhynchus ...
Orca - Killer Whale - Orcinus orca - Facts About the Orca Whale
Whales and Dolphins in Captivity - How Do You Feel About Orcas and Other Wh...
Killer Whale Skull
Delphinidae - What Is Delphinidae ...
And the killer whale or orca-which is itself a dolphin species-is another answer to the "What eats a dolphin?" question, although this seems to happen only infrequently.
Sharks and killer whales occasionally prey upon the very old, weak, or young.
Humans present a greater threat to this species through incidental catch or direct harassment.
TICKETS ...
ORCA
Orcas are killer whales. An orca eats hundreds of pounds of fish (including sharks) and marine mammals every day.
ORYX
Oryx are long-horned antelopes from dry areas in Africa and Asia.
There are 33 species of ocean dolphins, including the bottle-nosed dolphin, the spinner dolphin, the killer whale, the pilot whale and the common dolphin.
Large Oceanaria in the United States, like the ones in San Diego and Miami have built their successes solely upon the huge drawing power of animals like the Orca - the so called 'killer whale'.
and porpoises are examples of odontocetes, as are belugas, narwhals, killer whales, sperm whales, and beaked whales. Baleen whales lack teeth completely as adults (although teeth are present in fetal baleen whales).
Orcas belong to the dolphin family, although they are often referred to as killer whales. Like dolphins, orcas use echolocation - that is, bouncing sound off objects to determine their location and locate prey.
It has been estimated that 160,000 killer whales inhabit the waters surrounding the continent of Antarctica. Besides these areas, orcas can be found in all seas including the Western Mediterranean, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Predators include sharks, killer whales, polar bears, and man.
The Harbor Seal, Phoca vitulina, is found in inlets, harbors, and estuaries on the Atlantic coast as far south as Volusia County. It is light to dark gray, often mottled.
Orca (Killer Whale), Orcinus orca.
Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata.
False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens.
Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas.
Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus.
5 m (30 ft) and ten tonnes (the Orca or Killer Whale). They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid.
Dugongs are hunted by sharks, crocodiles and killer whales. The main threat to dugongs, however, are humans. Like dolphins, dugongs are often caught in fishing nets and drown.
November 2008... A new study of pygmy killer whales - one of the least understood marine mammal species - shows that those living off Hawaii tend to stay close to the islands and don't swim out to the open ocean..... more.
The Irrawaddy dolphin is closely related to the orca, also known as the killer whale.
The gestation period for this dolphin is 14 months.
The Irrawaddy dolphin is the only dolphin that spits water during feeding and socializing.
Challenges ...
Their main enemies are the leopard seal, killer whale, and skua gull. Their legs are set far back on their bodies, they waddle awkwardly on land, and often travel by tobogganing on their bellies over ice.
The walrus has only one natural predator: the killer whale. However, young calves are more susceptible to predators, and can often be taken by polar bears.
In the ocean, leopard seals, fur seals, sea lions, sharks, and killer whales all prey on Humboldts. On land, their eggs and chicks can fall victim to foxes, snakes, and introduced predators like cats and dogs.
Other threats include strandings, disease, contaminants, shipping vessel traffic, noise (including seismic testing), prey declines, predators (such as the killer whale) and human-induced habitat changes.
in the Canal de Ballenas (Channel of the Whales), the deep chasm between the Baja mainland and Isla Angel de la Guardia. Finbacks, the second largest animal on the planet, are the most common whale within the island channels, although Killer Whales, ...
 See also: Whale, Dolphin, Squid, Shark, Orca
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