Linus Jacobsen

Killer Whales
Killer whales (Orcinus Orca) are mammals that belong to the dolphin family. They live in all oceans of the world but they prefer cooler areas. Mostly, they are found near the shore line. The worldwide population is unknown. Orcas are one of those at the top of the food chain. They eat seals, sea lions, walruses, penguins, fish, squids, sea birds, sharks and live and hunt in groups. These groups are called pods and can have any number from 5 to 100 orcas. No wonder they are called wolves of the sea! Male orcas are about 7 to 8 meters long and can weigh over 5,000 kg. Females grow 5 to 7 meters long and weigh about 3,000 kg. The skin is mostly black with distinctive white patches. The average life span of a killer whale is from 25 to 35 years. Like dolphins, orcas breathe through blowholes right in front of their dorsal fin. Killer whales have very big dorsal fins and large flippers. They can close their blowholes so no water can get into their lungs. So they dont get too cold in the water, orcas have a 7.6 to 10 cm thick layer of fat (also known as blubber).

Calves are born in winter to early spring. At this time they are about 2 meters long and weigh almost 180 kg! Half an hour after a baby is born, it will know how to swim. They will stay with their mothers for 2 or more years.

Killer whales are very good and fast swimmers. In fact, they are the second fastest marine mammals and can swim as fast as 48 km/h! The fastest marine mammal is the Commersons Dolphin. A killer whale dives about 30 to 60 meters deep and 1 to 4 minutes long. Some killer whales, like Shamou, are trained at Sea World to do amazing tricks and stunts! So if you ever go to Sea World, dont forget the orca show!