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Orca Whales are thelargest of the dolphins.
Beluga Whale Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Orcinus
Species: Orca
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Other Names: Killer Whale, Orca, Blackfish,
Grampus and Killer
Orca Whale in Foreign Languages:
Bulgarian: Kosatka
Catalan: Orca
Czech: Kosatka
Danish: Spaekhugger
Dutch: Orka / Zwaardwalvis
Finnish: Miekkavalas
French: epaulard / Orque
Gaelic: Cana / Mada-chuain
German: Schwertwal / Moderwal
/ Killerwal
Hungarian: Kardszarnyu Delfin
Icelandic: Hahyrningur
Indonesian: Seguni
Inuit: Arluq
Italian: Orca
Japanese: Shachi / Sakamata
Korean: Beomgorae
Mandarin: Nijijing / Hujing
Neapolitan: Ncroja
Norwegian: Spekkhogger
Portuguese: Orca
Romanian: Orca
Russian: Kosatka
Slovakian: Kosatka
Spanish: Orca
Swedish: Spackhuggare
Turkish: Katil Balina
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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 whale's body is
black.
Size: Adult Orca whales weigh 2.6-9
tons and they measure from 18 - 32.25 feet in
length. Male orca whales are larger than their
female counterparts.
Habitat: Orca whales are found in all
of the world's oceans. They are most frequently
found in the cold waters of the Arctic, and
the Antarctic. Orca whales are found in both
the deep open ocean waters and the coastal waters.
Diet: Orca whales are carnivores they
eat salmon, seals, sea lions, other whales,
birds, and penguins. Orca whales eat approximately
3% - 4% of their body weight in food a day.
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Communication: Like all cetaceans,
orca whales depend heavily on underwater
sound for orientation, feeding, and communication.
Orca whales produce three distincitive
types of sounds: clicks, whistles, and
pulsed calls.
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Did You Know?
Next to humans, orcas are the
most widely distributed mammal.
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Gestation: Orca whales carry their young
for 17 months.
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