The Killer Whale Website

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Killer whales are toothed whales. They may even be the most popular toothed whales otherwise known as Orcas. Killer Whales have teeth that fit tightly together and are very strong. They are called killer whales because their powerful jaws and teeth allow them to eat other animals. Killer whales have four fins. Their biggest one is the dorsal fin. Actually, killer whales have the longest dorsal fin of any whale. The dorsal fin of the male can be as long as 6 feet, and also sharp. The killer whales are black with large white markings on their undersides and on the sides of their heads. The skin of the killer whale is very rubbery.

The familiar black and white coloration of the orca is actually a strategy of camouflage. From above, their dark back blends in with the darker water below them, while from below, their whiter bellies blend in with the sunlit water above. Male orcas reach 30 feet (9.5 m) in length, weigh over eight tons, and have a dorsal fin up to six feet (1.8 m) tall. Females grow to 22 feet (7 m), weigh about four tons, and have a three foot dorsal fin. Orcas have 50 teeth, which are conical-shaped and three inches long.

RANGE/HABITAT: Orcas are found in all the oceans of the world and favor coastal temperate or cool waters. However, they also range into polar ice areas. Some orca populations remain local and travel along predictable routes. Others are transient and move over great distances.

Orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family. Mating and birth take place mainly in autumn and winter. Gestation lasts over 16-17 months. At birth, orcas are about six to seven feet long and weigh almost 400 lbs (180 kg). They nurse for two years.

Orcas are very social whales. Most pods, or family groups, consist of five to thirty individuals. Studies have shown that each pod has its own distinctive dialect or accent, and that members of the same pod can recognize each other through this distinctive dialect.

Orcas do not migrate in the same sense as baleen whales, but have seasonal movements, which are tied into prey movement and environmental changes. Two distinctive sub-groups of orcas have been described, residents and transients. Residents live in larger pods, have a dorsal or back fin shaped slightly differently, feed exclusively on fish and tend to be more vocal. They have a matriarchal system in which two or three females and their descendants live together throughout their lives. Transient groups tend to travel longer distances; and are known to hunt and kill other marine mammals, even the great blue whale. Transient orcas are able to hunt animals much bigger than themselves by hunting in groups and using strategy. Transient orcas are opportunistic feeders. They also eat squid, shark, otters, sea lions, penguins, birds, octopi, dolphins, and salmon.

People often wonder why orcas are also called killer whales. Mariners and whalers observed transient orcas eating other whales. Thus they were named "whale killer." The name has been reversed to "killer whale." There are no confirmed records of orcas ever killing a person in the wild.

Capture of orcas for display has become controversial and more restricted. Warner Brothers' recent hit film "Free Willy" prompted people from around the world to demand that Keiko (the film's star) be moved to a better home and eventually returned to the wild. Never before has a captive orca been returned to the ocean. Keiko has many obstacles to overcome before he can survive in the wild. However, people remain optimistic about.