The Orca - The Killer Whale

Orcas are gentle giants even though they are often called “killer whales.” Over the years they have received the nicknames: demon dolphin, killer whale, orca, black fish, wolves of the sea, and grampus. The only the orca has the nickname, killer whale, is because they’re such great hunters. How many animals could take down a great blue whale? The gentle giants have no records of attacking or killing humans on purpose. Now even though they don’t mean to kill humans or hurt them, they do. There has been marine biologist in the past that have been killed or injured when the giants get in fights or start playing, thus squashing the marine biologist. That’s why some people call them, killer whales.

Orcas are mammals, which means they fur, lungs, and the mother feeds her young with milk. Whales have been known to beach themselves, and when they beach themselves, they usually die. Orcas may be mammals and have lungs so they can breathe air, but they still need to the water running over them to keep them from drying out.

Orcas belong to the dolphin family; they are also the largest dolphin in the world. The male orca grows to be an average of thirty-three feet long, and the female grows to be an average of twenty-six feet long. Their dorsal fins are much, much higher then a dolphin’s dorsal fin. A male orca’s dorsal fin height can be as high as six feet. A female orca’s dorsal fin height stays around four feet high.

Orcas have forty-eight teeth on each row, on their upper and lower jaw. These giants have a very large appetite; the average adult orca eats an average of five hundred pounds of food a day. A younger orca, maybe around the age of two, will almost be able to reach that same amount of food. Orcas ear all kinds of animals in and out of the water. The orca’s main preys are dolphins, porpoise, krill, fish, squid, and other larger animals like the blue whale, sea birds, sharks, walrus, and the harbor seal.