![]() ![]() Much like when a cat will toy with a mouse, Killer Whales are known to toss around and amuse themselves with their food until it dies. These Whales also have similar characteristics akin to cats when it comes to hunting and playing with their food. Within clans, babies and mothers usually travel encompassed within a circle of males, who protect them throughout their journeys. Much like Wild Buffalo on land, the Orca clan setup is very similar in the maritime world. Killer Whales live in groups known as "pods" or "clans" of other Orcas, and these can reach up to 50 bodies per clan. Otherwise, they can be very hostile and aggressive towards others, including other whales, upon whom they often prey. Orcas are considered to be very social animals when it comes to dealing with other members of their own species. Regional figures are more attainable, and it is estimated that in areas such as the Alaskan waters there are approximately 1,000 whales. In fact, scientists have a hard time estimating how many Orcas are alive today due to just how far spanning their habitat is. Due to their widespread distributions, Killer Whales are considered to be one of the most common large mammals to be observed worldwide, alongside Humans and the Brown Rat. Their range includes the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest, the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean, and the Atlantic alike. That’s what being an apex predator means. Orcas hunt other animals, but no other animal hunts an Orca. The Killer Whale can be found all over the world. In the ocean, orcas are among the few apex, or top, predators. Comparable to Dolphins in intelligence, it is hard to for their unfortunate prey to outsmart an Orca when they are in pursuit. Along with their intimidating speed and lock-tight bites, Orcas hunt together, which increases their chances of catching their goal prey. When hunting, a Killer whale can reach up to 48 kilometers per hour, and their mouths are lined with three-inch-long, interlocking teeth, which make them one of the deadliest marine predators. Everything ranging from penguins to smaller whales can feature on their menus. Orcas have a palate that can be pleased with a large variety of options when it comes to food. The average female orca will live up to 50 years in the wild, while males may often live to reach up to 70 years in age. Orcas belong to the Oscines family, hence their name, and for many years they have been considered as apex predators, meaning they have no natural predators themselves. Spanning to reach an average of 8.7 metres long and some coming close to 5 tons in mass, the Killer whale is among the most frightening carnivores in the sea. No surprise then that captive orcas, deprived of their rich cultural landscape are not representative of wild orcas’ behaviour, and people have been killed by captive orcas.The Killer Whale, also referred to as the Orca Whale, is a 4,000 kilogram killing machine that has survived and evolved through many ages. (Salish sea resident orcas line up in two rows and then pile in to jostle each other – an orca moshpit). They adhere to group traditions from which fish they eat to behaviours such as greeting ceremonies. Pods sharing similar calls are referred to as clans. Living in matriarchal family groups they travel together in pods consisting of extended family. Orcas have their own language of clicks, whistles and calls, and also imitate new sounds and use them in appropriate settings, ie, they are one of the few species alongside humans that have vocal learning, a cognitive ability that underpins language. ![]() Yet while mythology of the Pacific Northwest attributes power and strength to orcas they are not feared and it is considered auspicious to see them. Catching a person from a kayak or canoe would be well within the skills of an orca. They catch great white sharks to eat their livers that are a rich source of squalene, a precursor for synthesising hormones. Working in teams they make waves wash over ice floes in order to push seals taking refuge on them into the sea. They spit fish onto the surface of water as bait for seagulls. Orcas are consummate hunters with a wide and inventive repertoire of hunting techniques.
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