Orcas

The orca or killer whale is NOT a “toothed whale” or something like that. It’s just a large dolphin! The name killer whale came from ancient times, when people called the orca: killer of whales or whale killers, because of their unusual diet of whales. But, because of a misunderstanding, people now call this brilliant beast the killer whale.

Killer whales are normally 5-8 meters in length, with dorsal fins that can be taller than a grown man! They normally weigh 1390-3500 kilograms. They they have a black backside and a white underbelly. This helps them camouflage. For example, let’s say that an orca pod is hunting a group of seals. It the seals are above and they look down, the black backside of a killer whale blends in with the dark ocean bottom. Also, if the seals are underneath and they look up, then the white belly of the orca will camouflage with the sun above. Smart, right?

Orcas are the most widespread mammal in the world, second only to humans. They live from  sunny, tropical and near-equator waters, to icy, freezing, arctic regions. Wowza! That’s a whole lot of places! Just in the north pacific region zone, there are already 3 subspecies. 1: resident orcas. These, as the names suggest, the resident orca is a north pacific resident. Foods also vary in between subspecies. These racing residents eat fish and large octopi and squid. 2: transient orcas. These orcas do NOT stay in one area for their entire life. These orcas hunt slippery seals and slimy sea lions. They do not use very complex communication strategies. 3: offshore orcas. These orcas eat only fantastic fish, and live offshore. They can be smaller than residents and transients.

Orcas hunt by echolocation… or just good strategy. If they are hunting offshore or in deep waters, the are most likely to use echolocation – the waters are too murky to see through. But, if they are hunting near ballistic beaches, they might have a more interesting strategy. They can first locate a group of sea lion pups in shallow water, then dive back down. They can do this by spy hopping. After this, they gain speed as they charge through the water, straight towards the shore. During this time, the power of the orcas speed may be enough to power a small city. But, won’t the orca get stranded? The answer is: maybe, if he/she hasn’t planned carefully enough. If (s)he timed it just right, however, (s)he will be able to charge onto the shore, grab a sea lion, and wriggle back just before the moisture leaves their body. Whew! Risky for just a meal, right? Here is a less dangerous way of hunting. When orcas are hunting in polar regions, they often target a penguin, seal or walrus on the ice. To get it off, however, the killer whale can either use its tail to start a wave to wash the seal off, or it can tip over the iceberg, making the meal slide off. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!

You think you were heavy when you were born? No way! An orca is born heavier than an adult, reaching up to 350 lbs when first born. While in its mother’s womb, the baby orca grows fur. But this fur falls off after the orca is born, because swimming with frustrating fur is very frustrating. After 3 months of drinking mother milk, calves start to chomp on some messy meat. Much more yummy! While orca calves are young, they have to be careful when trying to hunt. Some babies get stranded on dry beaches!

People come from all across the world to see orcas. They look in oceans, from beaches, in aquariums, even in amusement parks! They especially like to see orcas breach. Orcas are amazing creatures at every angle.

Thanks for reading! -Written by EZ