ROCHELLE L. CELEVANTEPERIOD 3

COMMON NAMES

• ORCA• SEAWOLF• BLACKFISH

hABITAT

• Largest species of the oceanic dolphin family.

• It is found in all the world’s ocean from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to warm, tropical seas.

• Orcas are distinctively marked, with a black back, white chest and sides, and a white patch above and behind the eye.

description

• Calves are born with a yellowish or orange tint, which fades to white.

• Males can range from 6-10 meters long (19-31 ft) and weigh in excess of 6 tonnes.

• Females are smaller, growing from 5-7 m (16-23 ft) and a weight of about 4 to 5 tonnes.

ADAPTATION

• They prefer cooler temperate and polar regions.

• They can stand the freezing water.

• They use their tails for killing or protecting their selves.

FOOD CHAIN

• Orcas eat birds, whales, seals, sea lions, walruses, sea otters, penguins, salmon, cod, flat fish, hake, herring, smelt, and squid.

• Orcas hunt together like a pack of wolves.

• Sharks eat baby killer whales that have wondered from its mother.

• Cannibalism has been noted to this species.

HUMANS AND KILLER WHALES• Orcas are known to

human since prehistoric times.

• Orcas have been known to co-operate with humans in the hunting of whales.

• Whaling is the hunting of whales. International Whaling Commission (IWC) 1986 banned commercial whaling.

evolution• Orca was one of the many

species originally described by Linnaeus in 1758.

• It is one of thirty-five species in the dolphin family.

• Thus, paleontologists believe that the Orca is a prime candidate to have an anagenetic evolutionary history, forming descendant species from ancestral species without splitting of the lineage.

• If true, it will make Orca the oldest dolphin specie.

MORE INFO…

• Orcas are generally enthusiastic in their socializing, engaging in behaviors such as breaching, spy hopping, and tail-slapping.

MORE INFO…

• Orcas are found in all oceans and most seas, including the Mediterranean and Arabian seas.

• When hunting a young whale, a group chases it and its mother until they are worn out.