Well-known marine animals are killer whales. The orca is a killer whale. Description, lifestyle, interesting facts about killer whales. Photo and video. When moving, they maintain both sound and physical contact with each other.

marine mammal killer whale

Killer whales, marine mammals, can be found in deep waters from the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic. Most often they swim away from the coast, but closer to land they can be seen where seals and fur seals huddle.

Killer whales are the largest of the dolphin family, standing out among them with a bright black and white color. Among the three types of killer whales (large, small and dwarf), the most common is the large one. It is logical that a large killer whale differs from others in size. Males of this species can reach a length of nine to ten meters, and weight approaches seven and a half to eight tons. Female killer whales grow up to seven meters and weigh up to four tons. A large killer whale is distinguished from its other species by color. If the small relatives are black, and the dwarf ones have only one white spot, then the large killer whale is beautiful in the contrast of white and black.

Differences between males and females in killer whales

Sexual differences in the two species are hardly noticeable (only in size: the male is larger). But in a large killer whale, sexual characteristics are more or less distinguishable: the male has a white area on the back of the fin on the back. Females do not have such "decoration". You can distinguish a female from a male by the fin on the back, reaching one and a half meters. In the female, it is twice as short.

The head of killer whales is flat and short; not like dolphins, which have an elongated beak. Their similarity with whales is that the killer whale, when exhaling, can let out fountains of water. Also, their internal structure practically repeats cetaceans. They are endowed with the ability of echolocation, as they have a brain with well-developed auditory zones. This is a form of their communication with each other.

This marine animal can move at a speed of fifty-five kilometers an hour; life expectancy reaches thirty-five years.

sea ​​wolves

A large killer whale is a real and one of a kind cetacean predator, so it needs strong teeth to tear apart its large prey. They reach thirteen and even more centimeters: up to eleven pairs contains the upper jaw and up to twelve - the lower. These mammals are essentially "sea wolves", which do not disdain either mollusks, or squids, or seals, or cubs of dolphins and whales. Even baleen whales are too tough for killer whales, as they are attacked by the whole herd and torn to pieces by a large animal. Killer whale hunting for penguins is very inventive: having broken through the ice floe on which clumsy animals are located, the killer whale grabs the penguin that has fallen into the water. When one killer whale was ripped open, they pulled out what was left of thirteen dolphins and the same number of walruses. It is interesting to discover how serious the killer whale has an appetite.

Surprisingly, despite the dolphin breed, the largest killer whale in almost the entire part of the water is considered the most aggressive predator. You can be touched by looking at the games or the calm state of this animal, but it’s scary to watch the killer whale hunting - a predator. It was at this time that we can conclude that the killer whale can rightly be called the mistress of the ocean.

The uniqueness of killer whales

These marine animals are very friendly with each other. Among "their" killer whales are full of kindness and mutual assistance. They will not leave each other in trouble. During afternoon games, they may toss around with the remains of their prey, indicating their high organization.

The uniqueness of the species of large killer whales is that, on the one hand, they have the nature of predatory whales and a huge size, which poses a threat to the world of the ocean, and on the other hand, the sociable and kind disposition of dolphins who can “make friends” with each other.

The killer whale is the only representative of the genus, since its other species have already disappeared, and their remains are at the bottom of the ocean. The people called the animal "killer whale", because it is distinguished by extreme cruelty towards its victim. The exact population size is unknown, but killer whale hunting is prohibited.

It is impossible to say with certainty that killer whales are whales or dolphins. They belong to the animal kingdom, cetacean order and dolphin family. Some people call mammals killer whales, others - big dolphins, because their description resembles these representatives of the deep sea. The animal looks like a big dolphin, but differs significantly from it in character.

The length of the killer whale reaches 10 meters, which makes it one of the largest representatives of the deep sea. The size of females is somewhat smaller - 8-9 m. The weight of a killer whale sometimes exceeds 8 tons. Another difference in the structure of males and females is the upper fin. In the former, it reaches 150 cm in length and is located straight, in the latter it is almost half as long and somewhat curved.

The head of a mammal is short and small, the skull is flattened, the eyes are small. The jaw is very strong, has fangs 13 cm long, necessary for the rapid tearing of various prey. The classic color of the killer whale includes only 2 colors- black and white. There is always a white stripe on the belly. Some individuals have areas of different shades of black on the body.

Sometimes in nature you can meet completely black or white killer whales. Their skeletal structure is almost the same as dolphins, the body is dense, not stretched and very strong. The brain has the same sections as those of dolphins. The sense organs of a predatory mammal are very well developed, which allows them to find prey at a great distance.

The distribution range of killer whales is quite extensive, since they can be found almost anywhere in the world's oceans. Usually they prefer cold waters, so there are especially a lot of them off the coast of Chile and Alaska. In these places there is a large number of small and large fish, which serves as a source of food for mammals.

Killer whales are not found in the Black and Azov Seas. They are rarely found in tropical waters, but with a lack of food they can migrate far from their usual habitat. Usually animals try to live closer to the shore, where they can freely feed on small prey.

Lifestyle and hunting

Killer whales are predators, like sharks, they actively hunt for prey of various sizes. Experts have found that some populations feed exclusively on herring and migrate after it to other water bodies. Individual flocks prey on pinnipeds. During a long observation of the behavior of mammals, scientists noted that some families constantly travel in search of food, while others live in one place almost all their lives.

The life expectancy of males in natural conditions is no more than 30 years, and females can live up to 50 years. There are some features of hunting killer whales:

1. The killer whale in the oceans is at the top of the food chain and has almost no rivals. When hunting for small prey, individuals act independently, they do not need the help of a flock.
2. If it is necessary to kill a large fish or an animal, the flock acts together, surrounds the prey, at the same time trying to narrow the impromptu ring as much as possible. Each member of the pack has a specific role. Animals transmit special signals to each other.
3. The flock usually includes up to 15 individuals. If it is necessary to drive a school of fish, everyone works, but up to 5 killer whales are required to hunt pinnipeds.
4. Often, animals are washed ashore, where elephant seals or seals can be attacked.
5. In cold waters where penguins swim on ice floes, killer whale flocks can turn over a block to get prey.
6. Often predators attack whales. It is not so easy to catch large prey, so several males are involved in the operation. Usually they surround the whale and try to tire it out, keep up and swim close. Each male tries to tear off a piece of meat from prey on the go. After a few bites, the victim stops fighting and gives up. There are times when whales win and manage to fight back or protect their offspring.

The only representative of the depths that mammals try to avoid is the male sperm whale. It is very aggressive and can cause significant harm. But killer whales sometimes attack female sperm whales.

Reproduction features

Each flock consists of the main female and her cubs of different ages. Within the family, there is a way of communicating that is different from other groups. Relations between members of the same flock are very friendly and warm, the manifestation of aggression occurs in exceptional cases.

There is not enough information about the reproduction of mammalian predators. It is only known that the female can reproduce up to six cubs throughout her life. Reproduction has several stages:

1. Sexual maturity occurs at 12 years of age. The breeding season is at the end of summer and beginning of autumn.
2. Carrying a baby lasts from 15 to 17 months.
3. A newborn cub has a body length of about 270 cm; after birth, it stays near its mother for several years, and feeds on mother's milk for some time.
4. At the age of 40, females stop mating because, like women, they go through menopause.

After that, individuals live for about 10 years. Even with the loss of the ability to conceive, the female remains in the family. No matter how sick and weak they are, the members of the flock do not leave her, help her move and eat, and protect her from other large predators.

Relationship with a person

In 1982, the trapping of killer whales was prohibited by law. But this ban does not apply to their catch for scientific research. Under natural conditions, the mammal does not show fear of humans. If a person does not try to harm, it does not attack, so no such cases have been recorded.

The relationship between killer whales and humans is somewhat different when animals are kept in captivity. They often become aggressive, can attack the trainer. A case has been recorded where the attack resulted in a fatal outcome. Keeping killer whales in captivity is now prohibited because it cuts their lifespan by almost half.

A few years ago, killer whales were used for shows in various shows, but their training is extremely difficult, and the danger is high. Animals become irritable, refuse food, lose weight, and can attack not only humans, but also their fellows.

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killer whale - the only predator from cetaceans that feeds on warm-blooded animals. Killer whales hunt in well-organized flocks, attacking even weakened blue whales.

DIMENSIONS
Length: males - 6.5-8 m, females - 5-6.5 m.
Weight: males up to - 6,500 kg, females - up to 4,500 kg.

BREEDING
Puberty: from 8 years old.
Mating season: early winter.
Pregnancy: 16-17 months.
Number of cubs: 1.

LIFESTYLE
Habits: collective animals, kept in family herds.
Sounds: very varied.
Food: fish, cephalopods, marine mammals.
Lifespan: about 35 years old.

Whalers consider the killer whale to be a bloodthirsty predator that is dangerous to people. In fact, in the history of the relationship between humans and these mammals, only a few cases of killer whale attacks on humans have been recorded.

killer whale breeding

Killer whale males are easily recognizable by their dorsal fin up to 170 cm high, which can be seen above the water. The female is smaller, her dorsal fin is no higher than 1 meter and has a sickle-shaped cutout at the back. Males become sexually mature from 8-10 years old, females - 2 years earlier. There is little information about how killer whales mate.
During the mating season, males fight fiercely for females. Then they perform marriage dances.
Births occur in spring or early summer. It comes into being only one baby. Its length is 2.1-2.7 m, and its weight is 180 kg. He is very playful. Often thrown over the head of the parents, who are thrown high into the air. The mother feeds the cub for about 1 year.

The female is ready for mating not earlier than in 3-4 years.

killer whale lifestyle

Killer whales are kept in family herds, consisting of 5-20 animals. Small groups are usually formed by one adult male with a female and cubs. Large herds include 2-3 adult males. The female spends her whole life in one herd. Males regularly move from one herd to another. When a group becomes very large, some of the males go with it and form a new herd.
Killer whales dive to a depth of 300 m, but are usually found near the surface of the water. While diving, they submerge for about 30 seconds. They can stay underwater for up to 4 minutes. Killer whales spend most of their time hunting, they also play willingly. Often the whole herd hunts together. At the same time, animals jump out of the water and plunge into the depths of the water column with noise.

These cetaceans usually do not attack humans (only a case of an attack on a trainer in the San Diego Aquarium and an attack on a small yacht in the Caribbean Sea was recorded), but they do not show fear in front of her, approaching whaling ships and boats.

Nutrition of killer whales

The killer whale is a dexterous and intelligent hunter. She uses a variety of hunting methods. The secret of a successful hunt lies mainly in the close cooperation of the whole herd.

Killer whale near the coast feels better than in the open sea. While searching for food, she makes sounds that react to shoals of fish that are nearby. Having found a school of fish, killer whales drive it towards the shore, from where it has nowhere to run. They hunt seals in a similar way.

In the open sea, killer whales can be observed jumping out of the water. So they inspect the space around. The whole herd participates in the attack on the great whale. Killer whales hunt in packs of 3-4, and sometimes up to 30-40 individuals. During the attack, wolf packs behave - they attack the victim from all sides: some hold the victim by the tail so that she cannot hit them, others attack from the side of the head.

Killer whale in the wild

Speed: A killer whale is faster than a dolphin, it can reach speeds of up to 55 km / h, and its usual speed is 15 km / h.
Jaws: The jaws are very strong, but the killer whale cannot open them wide.
Teeth: killer whale has massive teeth, flattened from front to back; in cross section their roots are quadrangular. The teeth sit very firmly in the widened strong jaws and are well adapted for holding and tearing large prey.

The sound signals of killer whales are different: from a high variable tone to deaf groans and screams, as in March cats. Among the signals of killer whales, there were no more glorious whistles and squeaks, like those of dolphins, but distress signals were mentioned.
The killer whale is a fairly intelligent animal. The killer whale is easy to train and is able to perform various tricks, for example, it jumps into the air at full height, plays with a ball, carries a trainer on its back, opens its mouth into which a person puts his head.

Characteristic features of the killer whale

Dorsal: in old males it is in the form of a narrow isosceles triangle 160-170 cm high.
White spots: There are white spots above each eye. The white coloration of the throat behind the pectoral fins narrows into a strip running in the middle of the belly and expands behind the navel into three branches.
Length: females 5-6.5 m, males 6.5-8 m. Except for the size and shape of the fins, the animals of both sexes are very similar.
Tail fin: very strong, helps the killer whale reach a speed of 55 km / h.
Teeth: massive, 10-13 pairs above and below, flattened from front to back; in cross section their roots are quadrangular.

Killer whale habitat

It lives in all oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic, where it goes far into the floating ice.

Preservation. The killer whale is a common species, it is not threatened with extinction. Sometimes it is hunted by anglers who believe that it destroys young fish. In the recent past, it was caught as an exhibit for aquariums.

Killer whale video

General information about killer whale

The killer whale belongs to the order Ordo cetaceans, the suborder Subordo toothed whales, the family Familia dolphin Delphinidae, the species Genus of the killer whale Orcinus, the species of Speeies the killer whale Oreinus arca.

Killer whales are the largest of the dolphins. Their mass can reach up to 9 tons. They are called killer whales, the ancient Romans called them orcs, which means demons. They are afraid of both divers and divers. In the diver's reference manual, it is written about them that if a killer whale attacked you, then everything is already a foregone conclusion for you, there is no salvation.

habitation- near the shore and open water.

View status- widespread.

Group size - 3-25 (1-50).

Location of the dorsal fin- Slightly shifted forward.

Newborn weight- up to 180 kg.

Adult weight- 2.6-9 tons.

Newborn length- 2.1-2.7 m.

Adult length- females up to 8.7 m (with the number of dentine layers on the teeth up to 29), males up to 10 m.

Food- fish, cephalopods and marine mammals.

general information

The largest and very agile carnivorous dolphins. Fossils of this species have been found in Italy (Tuscany) and in England (Suffolk) in Pliocene deposits (about 1.5 million years ago), and the remains of the ancestors of killer whales dating back to the prehistoric period have been found in Northern Europe. Killer whales are social animals. Their herds usually consist of one leader male, several adult females and young whales of both sexes. Almost every flock has its own part of the water area, where it feeds and which protects it from strangers.

Animals from the same locality have their own language, so when studying different populations, scientists use the features of "pronunciation" as the main distinguishing feature. Whales feed mainly on fish (salmon), although they do not disdain warm-blooded animals. In the southern hemisphere, seals (sea lions and seals) and penguins form the basis of the diet. There are known cases of a flock of killer whales hunting other whales - fin whales, blue whales, young humpback whales.

In the Middle Ages, this species was often found, along with whales, off the coast of the Gulf of Gascony. It was during these times that its most ancient French name appeared: epolar. Some authors found it possible to identify the killer whale with " orca" ancient: but the animal mentioned, in particular by Pliny, under the name orca denoted an indefinite cetacean that could be either a killer whale or a sperm whale.

As noted by Georges Cuvier at the beginning of the 19th century, the animal, briefly described by ancient authors under the name of killer whale, most likely corresponds to what the Latins called " aries marinus, that is, "sea sheep", which may have been associated with a white spot behind the eye, which depicted something like a horn.

killer whale behavior

Finally, the oldest Latin name related to the killer whale is Delphinus orca, or "orca dolphin". Because of the resulting reputation as a deadly killer, the killer whale got its English name. killer whale("killer whale"). The killer whale was also the protagonist of the myths of the Indians of North America. The Russian name, presumably, comes from the word "braid", with which the high dorsal fin of males is associated. According to observations of a group of killer whales, on average, there are slightly more adults (57%) than cubs (43%), of which about 4% are still fed with mother's milk. Among adults, the number of females is somewhat higher than the number of males (34 and 23%, respectively), which is undoubtedly due to the higher mortality rate among the latter. Each group is like a family, using their own acoustic repertoire, which makes it easy to distinguish them. Very stable, however, it can disintegrate for several hours, especially during the search for food. Separate animals or several subgroups then swim together, but at a distance of several kilometers from each other.

However, group stability is not absolute, and some individuals may choose independence. Family groups are usually independent in relation to each other. Nevertheless, several of them can unite in a community for the breeding season.

Studies have made it possible to draw up something like a typical killer whale daily routine: 46% of its time, that is, about half, is devoted to searching for food and catching prey; 27% - moving; 13% - games and sexual activity; 12% - rest and sleep. Meetings with other groups take up the remaining approximately 2% of the time. These activities are replaced sequentially, in a certain order: for example, rest usually replaces hunting and may continue with games that precede travel.

Killer whales often take a position that is convenient for observing the surroundings. Once on the surface, they sharply raise their heads out of the water or stretch vertically, sometimes showing up to the level of their pectoral fins, as if to cover the entire horizon with their eyes. Several animals from the group and cubs can take the observation posture at the same time. Often, entering the game with other members of the herd, the killer whale sharply beats the water with its fins. The noise that it makes by quickly slapping the surface of the water with its pectoral fins or rhythmically pounding it with its tail blade quickly spreads through the water. Having put her tail out of the water, she shakes it from side to side for a long time or makes amazing jumps: almost completely jumping out of the water, she dives head first or most often falls heavily on her belly, back or side, raising clouds of spray. Like other dolphins, killer whales love to touch each other. These contacts between individuals are short, the animals spend much more time, sometimes about an hour, rubbing against certain stones at the bottom, which are used only for this purpose. Swimming past algae, killer whales cannot resist the urge to touch them and bring some of the plants to the surface in order to better feel their touch on their tail fins. It is unknown if this is done for play, pleasure, or out of necessity.

On dense schools of fish, it can peacefully graze with other cetaceans. But if there are no fish or shellfish, it can attack any kind of minke and gray whales, many species of dolphins and pinnipeds, sea otters, penguins, and even dugongs in algae. Dealing with a large prey, predators act as a herd, while females with cubs keep aloof, but are very active when eating prey. In a whale, killer whales open their mouths, dig their teeth into its throat, shred a massive tongue, bite its fins, drown the victim, not allowing it to come up to the surface for breathing. Occasionally, predators attack sperm whale families if there are cubs among them. Killer whales tear their prey sharply, rowing themselves with their pectoral fins. Predators first surround a herd of seals, walruses or dolphins, and then destroy them one by one. With a blow from below, they throw off the seals dozing on the ice floes.

With a coordinated search, killer whales find schools of fish more easily. They disperse, forming a chain of hunters 2 km long, and swim at a speed of about 5 km/h. So they can investigate??? using echolocation, about 10 km 2 per hour - a much larger area compared to that which could be covered by a single killer whale or a dense group. Echolocation signals allow each animal to determine its position relative to others, stay in contact with them and participate in the overall activities of the group. However, they are not enough when it is necessary to precisely coordinate the actions of the entire group, especially when it comes to surrounding a school of fish; in such cases, the killer whale uses sound signals.

Methods that justify themselves when looking for schools of fish are completely unsuitable when killer whales hunt marine mammals. This type of hunting has its own characteristics - after all, future victims can either hear predators, catching the sounds they make, which is available to cetaceans (whales or dolphins), or see them, what pinnipeds are capable of. That is why killer whales explore the waters in complete silence, relying only on their hearing. It is thanks to him that predators detect prey by the noise it makes when moving or by the signals it makes. Killer whales are also well aware of the places where whales, seals and fur seals usually gather at certain times of the year to breed.

Orca bite teeth marks were found on the body of 53% of examined fin whales, 24% of sei whales, 6% of minke whales and 65% of sperm whales. Before eating their prey, predators play with their prey and teach the cubs the art of hunting. These cetaceans usually do not attack a person, but they do not show fear in front of him, approaching whaling ships and boats. In captivity, they are peaceful, quickly get used to people and take food from the hands.

They are very fast (up to 55 km/h), often change course and quickly recognize danger. The baby is growing fast. During the first year, he apparently feeds only on the milk of his mother, whom he never leaves. If he is hungry, he “begs” for milk, gently pushing his nose into the mother’s belly next to the nipple, and deftly picks up the jet of life-giving liquid sprayed out by her.

Killer whales are mammals from the dolphin family of toothed whales. The killer whale genus consists of only one species. Animals have a black and white color, due to which these cetaceans cannot be confused with other members of the family.

The body length of the killer whale reaches 10 meters, weight - 9 tons, and the fin on the back can be 2 meters high. Killer whales, unlike other dolphins, have wide and oval pectoral flippers. The head is short, slightly flattened, without a pronounced beak from above. The mouth is equipped with large teeth up to 13 cm long. The body is oval in shape, at the end with a massive tail. Color, as already mentioned, they have black and white. The belly, throat and lower jaw of the animal have a white color. The back and sides are painted black. Killer whales also have two white spots placed above each eye. On the back, behind the dorsal fin, there may be a white saddle-shaped spot. From this spot, researchers can identify each individual individual. In the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, white spots of killer whales are often covered with diatoms and take on a yellow-green hue.

In males and females, there are not only sexual anatomical differences. Females are much smaller than males, their weight reaches no more than 4 tons, and they do not exceed 7 meters in length.

Where do killer whales live?

The killer whale lives in almost all oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic. In the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, killer whales are found everywhere from Svalbard to Antarctica. Often swims in the Mediterranean Sea. Killer whales live in the waters of the Indian Ocean right up to Australia. In summer, they even swim beyond the Arctic Circle into Antarctic waters. Discontinuously distributed in the Arctic seas. So killer whales are found in the Barents, White and Kara (western and northwestern parts) Seas, absolutely not meeting in the Laptev Sea and in the East Siberian Sea. Killer whales also live in the Far East in the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea near the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril and Commander Islands. Most often in these places killer whales can be found near the rookeries of sea lions and seals in the Avachinsky and Olyutorsky bays.

Lifestyle and nutrition of killer whales

Killer whales live in packs. In one flock, it can have from 3 to 100 individuals. Large groups most often consist of several families connected by distant family ties. Each family consists of a female of her cubs of different ages and already adult sons. Relations in such families are very warm. Young and healthy individuals always take care of the sick and old members of their seven. Between themselves, the family communicates using different sounds generally accepted for all killer whales or only for their family. If any disagreements arise between family members, they express their discontent by clapping their tails on the water. They also hunt together. various mammals and fish.

In "private life" killer whales are prone to polygamy. It is very difficult to fix the mating period of killer whales, so researchers have not yet been able to determine the exact time of the mating season. Approximately conception occurs in summer or autumn. As a rule, the female bears one cub, which is born after 16-17 months. The baby is usually born in spring or early summer. But, for example, in Canada, killer whale cubs are born from October to May. The length of a newborn baby is quite solid - up to 2.7 meters, and the weight is also decent - about 180 kilograms. The mother begins to teach her cub all hunting skills already at the age of 2 months.

Over the entire period of her life, the female gives birth to a maximum of 6 cubs, and by about 40 years she stops breeding.

Sexual maturity in young killer whales occurs in females at 12-14 years old, in males - at 18-20 years old. Life expectancy averages 35 years for males and 50 years for females. Cases have been recorded when female killer whales lived up to 90 years. Killer whales spend their entire lives in the group in which they were born.