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Killer Whales The killer whale is found in all seas. It is black above and white below; there are white patches above the eyes and on the flanks. The killer whale is about 30 feet (9 m) long with a blunt snout and a long, pointed dorsal fin. It feeds on fish, seals, marine birds, and other species of whales. Although killer whales can be aggressive, they have been trained to perform at zoos and aquariums.Killer whales live in groups called pods.What Is So Striking About a Killer Whale?
Of all toothed whales, a killer whale is perhaps the most striking. One reason is its size. A male can grow to be 30 feet (9 meters) long. And it can weigh up to 10 tons (9 metric tons).
A killer whale also has distinct markings. The whale's back and tail are a glossy black. But its belly is a bright white. There is also a white oval patch above and behind each eye. This patch is called the eyespot. The killer whale also has a gray saddle patch in the center of its back.
A killer whale's coloring helps to camouflage (KAM uh flahzh), or hide, the animal as it hunts for food in the ocean. When you look down at a killer whale, its black back blends into the dark water. When you look up at the whale from underwater, its white belly is hard to see against the light sky. From the side, the black-and-white markings look like sunlight hitting the water. Its camouflage coloring makes the killer whale a sneaky hunter.Is that Killer Whale a He or a She?
At first glance, you might think male and female killer whales look alike. But they do not! There is a difference in their fins.
The male, or bull, killer whale and the female, or cow, killer whale each has a dorsal fin. But the two fins are quite different. The cow's dorsal fin is curved. The bull's fin is not curved. And the bull's fin can grow to be 6 feet (1.8 meters) high. The cow's dorsal fin is much shorter. It grows to only about 3 feet (0.9 meter).
Another way to tell a bull from a cow is to look at the size of the animal's body. Bulls are much longer and bulkier than cows. Bulls also have bigger flippers.How Does a Killer Whale Stay Warm?
Most mammals that live in cold climates have thick fur to keep them warm. A killer whale has no fur. But it does have thick skin. This skin is lined with blubber. Blubber is a layer of fatty tissue just beneath a marine mammal's skin. The blubber of a killer whale is 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10.1 centimeters) thick.
Blubber acts like an extra layer of clothing. It covers most of the killer whale's body. Only the flippers, the flukes, and the dorsal fin lack blubber. Blubber keeps out the cold and traps heat in. Without blubber, the whale couldn't survive in icy waters.
A killer whale can also turn its blubber into energy, which heats up the animal's body. The whale can live off this fatty layer when it can't find food. When there is plenty of food, the whale will build its layer of blubber back up.How Does a Killer Whale Breathe?
A killer whale breathes through a nostril called a blowhole. The blowhole is at the top of the animal's head. This is a great place for a nose. It allows the killer whale to swim without having to lift its whole head out of the water to breathe.
As a killer whale swims, it brings the front of its body out of the water. It snorts the used-up air out through the blowhole. This is called a "blow." Before diving, the whale takes in a fresh supply of air. Then, as it dives, a special muscle closes the nostril inside the blowhole so that water does not get in.
It can be exciting to see a blow. It looks like a spout of white, misty spray. All cetaceans blow. The bigger the animal, the bigger the blow.Are Killer Whales Social Animals?
Killer whales are very social animals. They often live together. And they survive by working together. A group of killer whale families is called a pod. Killer whales travel with others in their pod. Members of a pod hunt, play, and rest together.
The founder of each family is often one of the older females. Other family members include the female's offspring and close relatives. Pod members communicate by making sounds-as well as with body language.
A killer whale usually lives in the same pod for its entire life. Can you imagine living your whole life in the same house with your mother, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins? That's how it is for killer whales. These mammals show great affection for one another. They develop strong ties with other family members.What Sounds Do Killer Whales Make?
Killer whales make many different sounds. They make rapid clicking sounds. They also whistle, screech, squeak, and make other noises. Some of their calls can be heard from several miles away.
Scientists think that killer whales use their whistles and most other calls to signal each other. The whales signal to warn others, to attract mates, to start a hunt, and to communicate for other reasons. Killer whales use their clicks for a special purpose-to locate prey.
Each pod of killer whales has its own set of sounds, or dialect. Related pods have dialects that are also related. Killer whales living in related pods can "understand" each other's dialects. Those living in unrelated pods have very different dialects.How Does Clicking Help Killer Whales Hunt?
To find food, a killer whale may use echolocation (ekh oh loh KAY shuhn). To do this, the whale first makes several clicks. The clicks leave the animal's body through the melon, which directs the sounds forward. The clicks spread through the water until they hit an object, such as a fish. Then they bounce off the object and return as echoes. In a flash, the whale can tell where a fish is. The whale also knows the fish's size, shape, speed, and direction.
Killer whales use echolocation to find fish and other smaller prey. But they don't always use echolocation to hunt. To find larger prey, such as seals, killer whales simply use their eyes.
Most toothed whales use echolocation at some time. Scientists think that echolocation is a learned skill. It does not come naturally. Echolocating is a very important skill-especially for whales that hunt in deep, dark waters or in murky rivers.How Else Do Killer Whales Find Food?
Killer whales often hunt together in packs. They may work as a team to herd a school of fish against the shore. Killer whales attack not only fish but also porpoises, seals, sea turtles, penguins, and even large baleen whales. Once the killer whales have trapped their prey, they share their catch with one another.
Sometimes a killer whale surprises its victim by tipping an ice floe, a floating sheet of ice. The seal or penguin on the floe slips from the ice. The killer whale uses its cone-shaped teeth to grab the prey. A killer whale may have as many as 52 teeth. But it doesn't use its teeth to chew. Instead, the whale drags its meal into the water and swallows it whole.
Killer whales are fierce hunters. They can chase down most sea creatures. It is nearly impossible to escape the jaws of a hungry killer whale! That's how the animal got the name killer whale.Do Killer Whales Stay Put or Wander?
Some killer whales stay in one place. Others travel great distances. It all depends on the type of pod the whales live in.
One kind of pod is a transient pod. Killer whales in these pods travel long distances. The pods are usually small. They may have only seven members. Killer whales in these pods feed mostly on larger sea animals, such as seals and porpoises. Some transient pods even attack large whales.
Resident pods do not move around so much. They are easier to observe. In fact, much of what we know about killer whales comes from studying these pods. Resident pods range in size from 5 to 25 members. Whales in these pods eat mainly fish.
When a pod gets too large, a female and her offspring may leave to start a new pod. Sometimes, the related pods come together to travel and feed.Why Do Killer Whales Spyhop?
In a spyhop, the whale points its head straight up out of the water. Then it sinks-but without much of a splash.Scientists think that killer whales learn to spyhop at an early age. The whales probably do this to see what's going on around them. Killer whales do have fairly good eyesight, especially out of water. And spyhopping is a good way to seek out large prey, such as seals and penguins.What Is Lobtailing?
In a lobtail, the whale points its head straight down into the water. It raises its flukes into the air and waves them back and forth a few times. Then, with a loud woosh, the animal slaps its flukes on the surface of the water. No one knows for sure why whales lobtail. Lobtailing may be a way of communicating. Whales may lobtail to warn unfriendly whales to stay away. Or, whales may lobtail to alert members within a pod that danger is nearby.
Lobtailing is as amazing to watch as spyhopping. Many people go whale watching, hoping to see the whales make these moves.What Is life Like for a Calf?
A baby killer whale is called a calf. Getting born is hard for the calf, and it's hard for the mother, too. Like most mammals, whales do not lay eggs. Females give birth to their young underwater.
When it's time to give birth, the mother floats up toward the surface of the water. Usually, the baby is born tail first. The calf's head comes out last. But because it has no air in its lungs, the newborn calf must quickly get to the surface.
Right after her baby is born, the mother pushes it up to the surface of the water. There, the calf fills its lungs with air. Then it can return to its mother and begin to nurse. The calf drinks rich milk from its mother's teats. These teats are tucked away inside slits on her belly.Do Killer Whales Make Good Mothers?
Killer whales make excellent mothers. They care for their calves for at least a year-and sometimes longer. During that time, the calves depend on their mothers for both food and protection.
A killer whale calf always swims alongside its mother. It keeps up by riding on its mother's waves. The flow of water over the mother's body helps pull the calf along. The calf uses less energy. This allows both the mother and her baby to keep up with a traveling pod.
Sometimes a mother must go off to hunt for food. She leaves her baby with other adult females, called aunts. The aunts protect the calf from sharks and other whales. They also play with the calf.
The Pacific white-sided dolphin is found in the North Pacific. It is up to nine feet (2.7 m) long and is greenish-black above and white below, with yellowish and grayish bands on the sides. It feeds on fish and squid.
Dolphins belong to the family Delphinidae. The common dolphin is Delphinus delphis: the bottlenosed dolphin, Tursiops truncatus; the killer whale, Orcinus orca; the Pacific white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens.
The Blue Whale is the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth. Far larger than the biggest of the dinosaurs. What is inside a Blue Whale is the same as inside all mammals - only much, much larger.
For instance, the Blue Whale's tongue weighs as much as an elephant! Their heart is the size of an automobile.
Some thing that has lungs, heart, intestines, bones. And it is big mind you. :)
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