Orca Whales

Orcas are the largest of the dolphins.

Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Cetacea
Family	Delphinidae
Genus	Orcinus
Species	orca

Description

Orca whales have a distinctive black and white patch coloration. An orca's head is rounded, and it does not have a distinct beak. There is a white spot above or behind the eye. Behind the orca's dorsal fin is a grey saddle patch. The orca whale's belly, lower jaw and the underside of the tail flukes are white; the remainder of the body is black.

Size

Adult orca whales weigh 2.6–9 tons and measure 18–32.25 feet in length. Male orcas are larger than their female counterparts.

Habitat

Orca whales are found in all of the world's oceans. They are most frequent in the cold waters of the Arctic and the Antarctic, occupying both deep open-ocean waters and coastal waters.

Diet

Orca whales are carnivores. They eat salmon, seals, sea lions, other whales, birds, and penguins — approximately 3%–4% of their body weight in food a day.

Communication

Like all cetaceans, orca whales depend heavily on underwater sound for orientation, feeding, and communication, producing three distinctive types of sounds: clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls.

Birth & growth

Orca whales carry their young for 17 months. Newborn calves weigh 395 lbs and are 7–8.5 feet in length; calf mortality is high, with an estimated 37–50% of calves dying within their first seven months. Females become sexually mature between the ages of 6 and 10, males between 10 and 13; females can bear a calf every five years.

Life span

The average life span of an orca whale is 50 to 80 years.

Social structure

Orca whales are social creatures, frequently found in family groups of up to 40 whales. Pods work together using cooperative hunting techniques, and both male and female pod members participate in the care of the young.