Life of Sea |Killer Whale(Orcinus orca) | Killer whalesarethelargestdolphinin the world. Youcan find them inthe openocean. Theyalso knowwhenorOrca. Killer whalesare found inall oceansand mostseas. Killer whalesare muchmoreabundant inthe Arctic, the Antarctic, and areasof cold-water upwelling. The Killer whale isashiny, black creaturewithwhite patchesabove and behindeach eye, thechinand throatextending alongthe belly.The bodyis robustand strong withablunt, round headandaslightbeak. Therefore,this creatureis moredolphinthanwhale. In mature males, the dorsal fin is tall and triangular and may reach a height of 1.8 m (6 ft.). Also, adult males tend to be larger than adult females. In most females, the dorsal fin is typically smaller and slightly falcate (curved back), reaching an average height of 0.9-1.2 m (3-4 ft.).
Killer whalepectoral fins arelarge and round,likepaddles.Males havesignificantly largerpectoral finsthan females.At about1.8 meters(5.9ft) ofthe maledorsal fin ismorethantwice thesize of the femaleandis more of atriangularshape,atall, elongatedisoscelestriangle,whilehair isshorter andmore curved.Malesandfemaleshave differentpatternsof blackandwhite skinin the genitalarea.Adult maleshavealower jawlongerthan women,andhave greateroccipital.Individualkiller whalescan oftenbe identified bythedorsal finandsaddlepatch.Variationssuch asnicks,scratchesandtears on thedorsal finand the patternofwhite orgraypatchare uniquein the saddle.
Killer whales diet includes fish, squid, seals, sea lions, walruses, birds, sea turtles. otters, penguins, polar bears, reptiles, sharks, octopus and even smaller whales. However the feeding habits of Killer whales will depend on the place they are inhabiting at a particular time. Because some Killer whalespreyon largewhalesandsharks, they are consideredapexpredators. Theyare also called thewolves ofthe seabecause theyhunt in groupsaswolfpacks. Killer whales have the second-heaviest brains among marine mammals. They can be trained in captivity and are often described as intelligent, although defining and measuring "intelligence" is difficult in a species whose environment and behavioral strategies are very different from those of humans.
Killerwhalebehaviorisgenerallyforaging, traveling, restingand socializing. Killer whalesareoftenactive on thesurfaceinvolved inacrobaticbehavior,such as violations, spyhopping, and tail-slapping. These activitiesmay have differentpurposes, such ascourt,communications, parasiteexpulsion, or play.Spy-hopping, abehavior in whichawhalekeeps hishead above water, helpsthe animalto checkits surroundings. Like allwhales,Killerwhaleare highlydependent onunderwatersoundfor orientation, power,andcommunications.Killerwhale produce threecategoriesof sounds:clicks,whistlesandpulsedcalls.Clicksare believed toprimarilybeusedfor navigationanddiscriminatingpreyandotherobjects in theenvironment,butareoftenheardduring socialinteractions.