░▒▓█ Hi guys, TobVoot here. █▓▒░ 

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Have you heard of "Killer Whales"? I think you have, but how well do you know what they are? Well...

I'm going to give you an overview of the Orca facts. I’ll try to impress you with this information… 

 Orcas (Orcinus orca) are often called killer whales, even though they almost never attack humans. In fact, the killer whale name was originally "whale killer," as ancient sailors saw them hunting in groups to take down large whales! Orcas are known for their black-and-white coloring(beautiful) 

  Orcas are a toothed whale and are the largest member of the dolphin family (from the Delphinidae family). Why humans calling them “whales”? It’s because of their size! These guys are really big. Male orcas usually grow to an average of 20-26 feet (6-8 m) and weigh 12,000 lb or more (5,400 kg). Females evolve to an average of 18-22 feet (6-7 m) and weigh between 8,000–11,000 lb (3,500-5,000 kg)…

Also the orcas’ large size and strength make them among the fastest marine mammals. They are able to reach speeds as fast as 30 knots (34mph or 57 kph)!

★ So, what‘s the largest orca ever found? 

  Hm-m-m…

 The largest recorded male killer whale was 9.8 m (32 ft) in length and weighed 10,000 kg (22,000 lbs.)! Woah!

 ✎ Inhabitants of the World Ocean 

  Orcas live in every ocean of the world

...From the Arabian Sea to the Gulf of Mexico, from the coastal waters of Japan to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Arctic waters to Antarctica, orcas can be found in every ocean in the world. Their extremely wide range and unpredictable movements make it difficult to know the exact world population. It is thought to be more than 50,000 individuals!

✎ Stay sharp!

You may have heard that during sleep, dolphins turn off part of their brain while the other one is awake. It’s the same thing with killer whales!  During sleep, unlike humans, the killer whale must remember to breathe, so one half of the brain rests, and the other half stays alert to control the breathing, so one eye remains open. Interesting!

✎ Friendly pals

There is no record of an orca ever killing a human in the wild. This is because humans are not part of their natural diet. Occasionally, an orca may mistake a human for something they do eat, such as a seal.

(Although wild killer whales do not intentionally harm people, they have attacked boats!) There were many reports beginning in the summer of 2020 of orcas ramming into and causing damage to sailing boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal...

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★ Killer whales have their own culture! 

Culture, the idea of transferring knowledge and language within a group from generation to generation, is actually implemented in flocks of orcas. Each pack (family) has its own unique dialect and that the acquired behavior is transmitted from one generation of the pack to another - a unique feature that is known to exist in another species: humans!

✎ Family guys

Orcas are very social creatures and live in family groups called "pods", which have up to 50 members!

These "pods" are made up of related mothers and their descendants, known as matrilines. A male orca will stay with its mother for life, while daughters may spend time away after having calves of their own.

Pods often have their own distinctive calls, or dialects, to communicate, but they will associate with other pods and can come together to form even larger, temporary groups.

✎ The oldest

Female killer whales have an average life span of 50 years. However, there was one local resident female orca that is estimated to be 100+ years old! Her name was Granny and she was the matriarch of J-Pod, before her passing in late 2016…

Males live shorter lives, with an average life span of 29 years and a maximum life span of 60 years.

★ Smart Hunters! 

  Killer whales are top predators on top of the food chain. No animals hunt orcas. Orcas feed on various prey: fish, seals, seabirds and squid. They can also kill whales larger than themselves, such as small whales, and are the only known animal that precedes the great white shark. It is reported that orcas even kill floating deer and elk, according to the chapter on orcas in the book «Primates and cetaceans»(Sringer, 2014)

- So...How do they hunt?

Killer whale hunting tactics are like wolves! Wolves hunt in packs, coordinating their attacks… then you have an idea of how orcas hunt too.

For example:

  Sometimes they beach themselves to catch seals on land or to scare sea lions into the water where other killer whales are waiting to feed. Orcas will also work together to catch larger prey or groups of prey, such as schools of fish!

  Another technique is to deliberately cause a large wave in ice floes to throw their prey in the water, where they are easier to catch.

  They also use echolocation for communication and hunting; they utter sounds that move underwater until they encounter an object; after contact, they bounce back and uncover the object’s area, size, and shape.

Guess, that’s all. I hope you enjoyed this little blog. See ya!