![]() In some cases, the difference between dialects can be as large the difference between Japanese and English. Amazingly, different groups of orcas ‘speak’ different dialects. Orcas communicate via 3 sounds: clicks, whistles and pulsed calls. Others form smaller groups which travel longer distances. Some orcas stay their entire lives in pods in which all members are related to a matrilineal line. They are famous for the complexity of their social lives. They have their own language, excellent memories, they teach each other hunting skills and they form tight-knit social groups. But, in terms of measuring intelligence, it’s the ratio of brain to body that’s important, which for an orca is similar to that of a chimpanzee. Orcas have huge brains, the second biggest of all marine mammals in fact. There are only 3 species on the planet that go through menopause, humans, short-finned pilot whales and Orcas. When the right side of the brain is asleep, the left eye is open and vice versa. So, they sleep with just one half of the brain, leaving one eye open as well. They sleep with one half of their brain at a time.Īs orcas have to come up to the surface to breath, they can’t fully sleep. They can swim as fast as 56 km/h, which is around 35mph – underwater! 10. They are some of the fastest swimming marine mammals. They don’t have smelling organs, or even the part of the brain dedicated to this sense, so we’re fairly sure they can’t smell. One study showed that orcas are so good at echolocation that they able to identify their favourite type of salmon. Like many cetaceans, they are able to use their clicking noises like sonar. Without the pressure of having to defend themselves from predators, they’ve been free to evolve into incredible predators. This means that they are at the top of the food chain, and nothing else hunts them. They are some of the most widely distributed mammals in the world, competing only with humans and rats. They can be found in oceans all over the world. In captivity however, they usually don’t live longer than 10 years. They can live as long as humans.įemales can live as long as 100 years in the wild, while males can live as long as 60 years. There are several populations of orcas with specific traits, and it’s being debated whether these are subspecies or separate species. There might be more than one species of killer whale.Īlthough for a long time Orcas were considered one species, this is now being questioned. They’ve evolved a number of hunting tactics, as you can see in the incredible video below.ģ. They often work together, in pods of as many as 40 members, to hunt marine mammals much larger than themselves (including whales). While they’re not whales, they are killers and well known as extremely intelligent hunters. It’s thought that sailors who saw orcas hunting whales called them “whale killers” which changed into “killer whales” over time. ![]() They are not ‘whales’!ĭespite the common misnomer of “killer whale”, they are in fact members of the Delphinidae family which are oceanic dolphins. Orcas are highly intelligent, can communicate, have complex hunting techniques and even culture. And then there are roving males, who never become part of a pod. Others form smaller transient groups which usually involves a mother and 2 offspring. They have complex social structures, some form pods composed mainly of matrilineal (descended from the mother) lines which will contain several generations of family members. They are apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain, and they often hunt marine mammals (seals, sealions etc), fish and penguins. Orcas are aquatic mammals (cetaceans), so they are warm-blooded and breath air. While they are still currently categorised as one species, scientists are now beginning to recognise that there are multiple types of Orca, which are likely sub-species or even different species all together. In the wild, females can live to be 100 years old, while males can live as long as 60 years.įemales: 1,400-2,700kg, Males: 3,600-5,400kgįish, penguins and marine mammals (seals, sea lion and sometimes whales)Īs apex predators, they have no known natural predators. Ranging from the equator to the polar regions. Most often in coastal waters but found in open waters as well. It’s thought they got the misnomer “Killer Whale” from sailors who saw them hunting whales. They inhabit most of the world’s oceans, ranging from the equator to the polar regions. Orcas (Orcinus orca), often called Killer Whales, are actually the worlds biggest dolphins and are members of the Delphinidae family which also includes species such as Bottlenose Dolphins and Pilot Whales.
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