Orca (Killer Whale)

Scientific name: Orcinus orca

    Fascinating Fact: Killer Whales are actually dolphins!

Although often called whales because of their large size, Orca are dolphins and have about ten very large, conical teeth in each jaw. 

Orca are often called "Killer whales" probably because they have been seen eating other whales and dolphins.  There is no record of them ever attacking people.

    Physical Features:

Orca are the largest of all the dolphins and can grow up to 10 metres in length and weigh up to 9 tonnes.  They have a very distinctive pattern of black and white on their bodies. They are all black with a white chest and belly.  There is also a white oval-shaped patch behind their eyes and a white saddle-patch just behind their very tall dorsal fin.  The males' dorsal fin is always much taller than the females and can be as much as 1.9 metres tall.

The drawing at the very top shows the broad, heavy body of an orca and the very distinctive patterns of black and white.   

    Feeding

They eat large fish, including sharks (even great white sharks!), as well as seabirds, turtles, seals and sea lions.  They are the top predators in the oceans and even work together to hunt and kill baleen whales much larger than themselves.

    Behaviour

Orca are very intelligent and live in social groups known as "pods".  Some of these pods are small and made up of a single family but they are related to other family pods with whom they communicate and breed.  They communicate using a whole range of sounds and each related group has its own dialect of special sounds.

    Captivity

Because they are so intelligent they can work together to hunt and also to play.  They are very curious and like to explore what boats and people are doing.  This  has meant that they have often been caught and used in aquariums to perform tricks for audiences.  One thing that research has shown about orcas in captivity is that they do not live so long as they do in the wild and they are not as healthy or fit.  Rather than living for up to 50 years they usually only survive about 10 years in captivity.  It is impossible to return them to the wild once they have been brought up in captivity.