Killer Whales Justin Pinzon Period 1 5/9/16

Types of Killer Whales Resident: eat fish, located around the Northeast Pacific. Transient: eat marine mammals, located around the coast, travel in pods. Offshore: located in the Northeast Pacific, travel offshore and eat groups of small fish.

Appearance and Morphology Mostly black, has white around the eyes, chest, and sides. Largest members in the dolphin family. Have very good eyesight. Has a body temperature of degrees Celsius and have a layer of blubber to keep warm.

Life Cycle Female whales mature at age ten. Can live up to 90 years old. Oldest female orca is 103. Male orcas live up to 40 years old. Mature at age 15 Oldest male orca was 59.

Breeding female is able to give birth at age 10, but top age is 20. Takes months for the fetus to be ready and come out. Most pregnancies happen in the winter. The first 7 months the babies are weak and have a percent of dying.

Range and Habitat Found in all oceans and seas. Prefer higher latitudes and coastal areas. Most of the Killer whales are located are in the northeast Atlantic, north Pacific, Gulf of Alaska, and the Southern Ocean. Some migrate toward British Colombia and Washington during the summer.

Feeding Have no natural predators. Tend to hunt in groups. usually eat smaller fish and other marine mammals. Eats an average of 227 kilograms of food each day.

Behavior Puts head up to look around their area. Breach and tail slap to communicate, try to mate, or get something off their body. Known for their complex societies. Their behavior consists of resting, socializing, traveling, and foraging.

Vocalizations Depend on sound when underwater. They can click, whistle, and make pulsed calls. Clicks used to navigate and find prey. Every pod has a different sound they make. Different calls help identify each pod.

Captivity their unique qualities make them a good entertainment to people. Whales in captivity have a shorter life span. It is known that they are abused. Critics say the whales gets stressed because they constantly have to perform.

Indigenous cultures Put killer whales in their art work and history. Myths of killer whales living in towns and houses underwater. Myths of killer whales becoming humans when underwater and the people that drowned turned into killer whales.

“killer” stereotypes Originally feared as dangerous predators. Fisherman thought whales were a bother because they would eat the fish they want to catch. Haven’t really been fatal killer whale attacks.

Current event Killer whales are the largest mammals in the dolphin family. They eat small fish and other marine mammals. Females become fertile at age 10 and it takes about 18 months for the baby whale to develop. There have been many myths of what killer whales become and they live a shorter life when in captivity.