Orcas also called Killer Whales                                                   Coastal zone

           


















Splash, the killer whale accelerates as it sees the dark shadow of a seal, the seal is 
ripped apart in seconds.  Killer whales also called the orca are one of the most 
well known whales in the world. They are found all over the world and will eat 
almost everything. They are mostly found on the coasts of Mexico, Japan, or 
Alaska and are classified as dolphins.


Orcas are black and white with broad heads and elongated foreheads. They
have white patches around there eyes, on the lower parts of their body they are
almost completely white and the top part of the body is black. Their color
pattern helps them camouflage and sneak up on prey. The male whales are larger
and stockier then the females, males weigh around 8,000-12,000 lbs., and are
19-22 ft long. There dorsal fin can grow up to 1.8 meters. On the other hand,
females weight around 3,000-8,000 lbs., and can grow up to 16-19 ft in length.
Females have backward curved fins that grow around 70-90cm long. All orcas have
45 three inch teeth.
           
Every whale has a migration pattern. Orcas are one of the few whales that
travel according to food availability, this means they travel from ocean to
ocean to find food but they are mostly around the coasts of Alaska, Mexico, or
Japan. They travel in and hunt in families or pods. Every day they find 500lbs
of food for one orca to eat. They eat walruses, seals, sea lions, penguins,
squid, spinner dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and even other types of whales.
 
 Killer whales are mammals so they give live birth. Mother whales are
pregnant for 17 months. Orca babies are usually born tail first, as soon as it
is born the mother brings the baby to the surface for its first breath. Mothers
always nurse 20 – 30 feet from the surface. The baby whales swim within days and
stay with their moms for around one year. Newborn babies can weigh up to 180kg
and are 2.1 – 2.4 m in length.  

In conclusion, killer whales are fast, furious and smart animals, which prefer the
coldest waters possible, but nurse there young in warm waters. 
They eat almost anything that catches their eyes, and despite their curl
reputation they can also be caring and entertaining. Next time you see an orca,
don’t think of killer whales .They would be nicer by reputation if we stopped
calling them killers.


by Sammy

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