Orca (Orcinus Orca) – Killer Whales Of The Pacific Northwest

Orca (Orcinus orca)

The Orca is the biggest member of the dolphin family (order Cetacea, subfamily Delphinidae) and a extremely versatile predator. It is also known as a Killer Whale or Great Killer Whale, although it is not a whale. The actual Killer Whale name is in fact a corruption of the older Killer of Whales—the species is well-known to prey on juvenile and small cetaceans. Yet another phrase for the animal is Grampus.

Characteristics:

The orcas are generally distinctly marked, with a white chest and sides, black back  and a white patch above and behind the eye. They have got a hefty as well as stocky shape and a considerable dorsal fin. The males can be up to 9.5 metres long (more than thirty-one ft) and weigh as much as ten tons; females are usually smaller, attaining 8.5 meters (approximately twenty-eight feet) at most and a weight of 7 or 8 tons. Newborns at birth weight about one hundred and eighty kilograms and are about 2.4 metres in length (about eight ft). At about 1.8m (about 6 feet), the dorsal fin of the male is usually higher compared to the female’s, along with more upright. From a distance, females and juveniles are often confused with different dolphin and porpoise species.

Range:

Most killer whales are located in the polar zones but they’re found in all waters including the Mediterranean and Arabian Sea as well as the Gulf Islands in the United states & Canada. At sea they are ordinarily seen in pods of 5-25 animals, though groups of over 150 have been viewed together.

Diet :

An Orca’s eating habits is based completely on accessibility, although pods can specialise and thus ignore potential feed. It’s thought they need approximately 60 kilograms of food every day. Their prey comprises 20 or so species of cetaceans, 5 species of pinniped (seals), thirty varieties of fish (especially salmon), 7 varieties of birds and a couple of species of squid, in addition to a number of additional sea animals, occasionally including larger whales like Minke Whales, Fin Whales, Gray Whales, or even youthful Blue Whales. Orcas even hunt and kill Great White Sharks for their nutrient-rich livers and also to eliminate the competition for food. It is from their attacks on whales that they acquired their name; they do not attack humans.

Orcas and man :

Orca are regarded to be too small for commercial whaling, although they are sometimes killed due to the fact they compete with humans for fish. In the 1950′s the U.S. Air Force, at the request of the Icelandic government utilized bombers and gunners to slaughter orcas in Icelandic seas. The operation had been considered a huge accomplishment at the time.

In recent decades, the orca’s intelligence, trainability, beautiful appearance & playfulness in captivity have made orcas a well-liked aquarium or zoo attraction. This, combined together with the simple fact that the orca isn’t hostile toward humans, has contributed to the impression of the species being rehabilitated from an object of fear like Great White Sharks to a respected predator, deserving of toleration. Orcas in captivity may develop pathologies such as dorsal fin collapse, witnessed in over 60% of captive adult males.