The name, 'killer whale', originally came from 'whale killer',and 'killer of whales'. Orcas sport 10 to 13 pairs of interlocking teeth in both upper and lower jaws, which command healthy respect from everything in the ocean, whale or not. A pod of killer whales will cooperatively hunt young blue whales as well as humpbacks. The rest of the menu consists of fish, squid, sharks, seals, turtles, octopi, penguins, and sea gulls. They have an impressive daily food intake of 550 lbs.
It's believed that great whites hold the claim to fame of having the most testosterone, therefore, being the more aggressive of the two mammals. However, many a whale-watcher has witnessed the incredible scene of orcas attacking great whites without provocation. Killer Whales have been known to take down a great white single-handed.
In 1961, the first killer whale was captured and put on exhibit for the public-at-large. Since then, our imaginations have been captured by the beauty, danger, and mystery of the world’s largest, and most aggressive of the dolphin species, Orca.
Stats on Orcas
- Order: Cetacea (Whales and Dolphins)
- Family: Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
- Genus: Orcinus
- Species: orca
- They have only one blowhole.
- They live in small family pods for life.
- Orcas are carnivorous (meat eating) animals.
- Length: Bulls (male orca) are 19 to 22 feet long Cows (female orca) are 16 to 19 feet long.
- Weight: Bulls are between 8,000 and 12,000 lbs. Cows are 3,000 to 8,000 lbs. The biggest bull recorded was 32 feet long and weighed in at 22,000 lbs.
- Lifespan: Bulls – 50 to 60 years. Cows - 90 years.
- Fins: The bull’s dorsal fin is 6’ tall and very upright, while the cows are 4’ tall and angled toward the back.
Orcas Have Wolf-Like Demeanor
Orcas are often called ‘wolves of the sea’ due to some traits they have in common with their namesakes:
- Killer whales hunt strategically in packs, even jumping onto humpback whales to cover their blowholes in attempt to drown them.
- They nip and ram at their prey.
- They develop tight family bonds.
A Family That Stays Together
Orcas live in abundant numbers in every ocean in the world, from tropical to arctic seas. They live and travel in ‘pods’ of 6 to 40 individuals led by the oldest female. The pod members remain together for their entire lives. They create complex societies and, of all the large animals, develop the tightest bonds.
Just as people from different parts of the world have different accents, orca pods’ vocalizations have their own accent, which helps them identify individual pods. Breeding season is mostly winter to early spring, and gestation (pregnancy), is 16 to 17 months. Newborn calves weight in at a whopping 300 to 400 lbs, and 6 ½ to 8 feet long. Calves stay with their mother for a year or more.
Did You Know?
- Orcas have brains four times the weight of a human’s, making it one of the largest brains of any animal.
- An orca will actually beach itself to catch a seal.
- Killer whales can swim up to 30 mph.
- They can dive to 100 feet.
The orca has no natural enemies except man. Orca is one of the most efficient and tenacious predators in the mammal world. For all intents and purposes, orca retains ownership of the earth’s oceans.
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