Killer Whale/Orca

Although the term "orca" is increasingly used, English-speaking scientists most often use the traditional name "killer whale". The genus name Orcinus means "of the kingdom of the dead", or "belonging to Orcus".

Ancient Romans originally used orca (pl. orcae) for these animals, possibly borrowing Ancient Greek ὄρυξ (óryx) for this antelope from North Africa, which referred (among other things) to a whale species. Since the 1960s, "orca" has steadily grown in common use.

Three types have been documented in the Antarctic. Two dwarf species, named Orcinus nanus and Orcinus glacialis, were described during the 1980s by Soviet researchers, but most cetacean researchers are skeptical about their status, and linking these directly to the types described below is difficult. A typical killer whale distinctively bears a black back, white chest and sides, and a white patch above and behind the eye. Calves are born with a yellowish or orange tint, which fades to white. It has a heavy and robust body with a large dorsal fin up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) tall. Behind the fin, it has a dark grey "saddle patch" across the back.

Antarctic killer whales may have pale grey to nearly white backs. Adult killer whales are very distinctive, seldom confused with any other sea creature. When seen from a distance, juveniles can be confused with other cetacean species, such as the false killer whale or Risso's dolphin. The killer whale's teeth are very strong, and its jaws exert a powerful grip; the upper teeth fall into the gaps between the lower teeth when the mouth is closed. The firm middle and back teeth hold prey in place, while the front teeth are inclined slightly forward and outward to protect them from powerful jerking movements. Killer whales are the largest extant members of the dolphin family.

Males typically range from 6 to 8 meters (20 to 26 ft) long and weigh in excess of 6 tonnes (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons). Females are smaller, generally ranging from 5 to 7 m (16 to 23 ft) and weighing about 3 to 4 tonnes (3.0 to 3.9 long tons; 3.3 to 4.4 short tons). Calves at birth weigh about 180 kg (400 lb) and are about 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long. Killer whale pectoral fins, analogous to forelimbs, are large and rounded, resembling paddles, with those of males significantly larger than those of females. Dorsal fins also exhibit sexual dimorphism, with those of males about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) high, more than twice the size of the female's, with the male's fin more like a tall, elongated isosceles triangle, whereas the female's is shorter and more curved.

An individual killer whale can often be identified from its dorsal fin and saddle patch. Variations such as nicks, scratches, and tears on the dorsal fin and the pattern of white or grey in the saddle patch are unique. Published directories contain identifying photographs and names for hundreds of North Pacific animals. Photographic identification has enabled the local population of killer whales to be counted each year rather than estimated and has enabled great insight into life cycles and social structures.

Like all cetaceans, orcas depend heavily on underwater sound for orientation, feeding, and communication. They produce three categories of sounds: clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. Clicks are believed to be used primarily for navigation and discriminating prey and other objects in the surrounding environment but are also commonly heard during social interactions.

With a top speed of about 56 km/h (35 mph), orcas are among the fastest marine mammals. They can swim well because to their strong tails and sleek bodies. Orcas can dive as far as 100–300 meters, while some can go as far as 1,000 meters.

People who have interacted closely with orcas offer numerous anecdotes demonstrating the whales' curiosity, playfulness, and ability to solve problems. Alaskan orcas have not only learned how to steal fish from longlines but have also overcome a variety of techniques designed to stop them, such as the use of unbaited lines as decoys.

Orcas are apex predators, meaning that they themselves have no natural predators. They are sometimes called "wolves of the sea," because they hunt in groups like wolf packs. There is no record of an orca ever killing a human in the wild, but in captivity there have also been many fatalities to trainers as well. This is because humans are not part of their natural diet.

Orcas are sophisticated and effective predators of marine mammals. Killer whales are known to feed on a wide array of prey, including most marine mammal species (including river dolphins and manatees to dugongs), crocodiles, seabirds, sea turtles, many species of fish (including sharks and rays), and cephalopods. Other marine mammal prey species include pinnipeds and sea otters. The most frequently preyed on pinniped species include harbor seal, California sea lion, Steller sea lion, South American sea lion, southern elephant seal, and walrus. In Antarctica, they eat Weddell seals, crabeater seals, leopard seals, and penguins resting on ice floes, and then swim in groups to create waves that wash over the floe. Orcas in many areas may prey on cormorants, gulls, gannets, boobies, petrels, and even egrets.

Although killer whales are generalists as a species, at least some subpopulations (ecotypes and/or morphotypes) specialize in particular types of prey. Captives occasionally act aggressively towards themselves, their tankmates, or humans, which critics say is a result of stress, making them, as with the strength and power of Elder Dragons, able to kill humanity in each realm. In captivity, there have been several non-fatal and fatal attacks on humans since the 1970s. Whale sharks, great white sharks, sperm whales, saltwater crocodiles, and humans were among the orca's few adversaries.

Dawn Brancheau, an experienced trainer, at the end of a "Dine with Shamu" show at SeaWorld Orlando. The officials stated that Tilikum grabbed Brancheau by her ponytail and pulled her into the water, drowning her. Eyewitness trainers and audience members, however, stated that Tilikum dragged Brancheau into the water by her forearm near the end of the show and that the trainer died of "multiple traumatic injuries and drowning."

Reproduction

• Females reach maturity at ~12–15 years; males at ~15–20 years.

• Gestation lasts 15–18 months.

• Usually 1 calf is born.

• Calves nurse for 1–2 years but stay with mothers for life.

• Longest-known post-reproductive lifespan among non-human animals (menopause at 40+; can live to 80–90 years).

Day-to-day orca behavior generally consists of foraging, travelling, resting and socializing. Orcas frequently engage in surface behavior such as breaching (jumping completely out of the water) and tail-slapping. These activities may have a variety of purposes, such as courtship, communication, dislodging parasites, or play. 

In contrast to the majority of dolphin species, wild orcas hardly ever attack people. While most of their interactions are avoidance, playful following, and curious approaches, some people engage with boats on a regular basis. Because of their intellect, imprisonment is psychologically detrimental, and instances involving captive orcas are extensively recorded due to stress, boredom, isolation, and unnatural surroundings. Although orcas are not regarded as "friendly" like pets, interactions with them in the wild are usually polite and safe. Should the survivor or another creature hit an orca, unless the orca is killed within one hit, the whole pod retaliates, attacking all at once similar to social animals.

Threats

• Pollution, especially PCBs

• Noise pollution affecting echolocation

• Ship traffic and strikes

• Declines in prey, especially salmon for resident orcas

• Climate change altering food webs

• Entanglement in fishing gear

• Past commercial capture for marine parks

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Least Concern (LC)

Conservation Efforts

• Protected under Marine Mammal Protection Act (US), ACCOBAMS (Mediterranean), and other agreements.

• Protection varies regionally, with marine protected areas in place.

• Anti-poaching enforcement.

• Rescue and rehabilitation centers.

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

The killer whale is the most cosmopolitan of all cetaceans and may be the second-most widely ranging mammal species on the planet, after humans; it is found elsewhere in Earth, Sawintir, Agarathos, Delphia, Berbania, Reinachos, and Jotunheim. Due to their enormous range, numbers, and density, relative distribution is difficult to estimate, but they clearly prefer higher latitudes and coastal areas over pelagic environments.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the orca to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Reinachos from Cygnus and Berbania from Ursa Major. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The orca became an invasive species as a result of human interactions for game hunting and rewilding. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the dolphin lived in conditions and climates identical to those of Earth.

• Movement Pattern: Full Migrant

• Individual Type: Pod

• Population Trend: Increasing

• Population: 

  • Earth: 50,000

  • Berbania: 500,000

  • Reinachos: 1,000,000

  • Delphia: ???

• Locomotion: Aquatic

• Habitat: Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Kelp Forest; Coral Reef; Barrier Reef; Guyot; Neritic Zone (Warm); Neritic Zone (Cold); Pelagic Zone (Warm); Pelagic Zone (Cold); Benthic Zone.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Algeria; American Samoa; Anguilla; Antarctica; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Australia; Bahamas; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belize; Benin; Bermuda; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Brazil; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada (Newfoundland I); Cayman Islands; Chile; China; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Colombia; Comoros; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Cuba; Curaçao; Côte d'Ivoire; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador (Galápagos); El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); Faroe Islands; Fiji; France; French Guiana; French Polynesia; French Southern Territories (Kerguelen); Gabon; Gambia; Germany; Ghana; Gibraltar; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guam; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; Honduras; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Kenya; Kiribati; Liberia; Madagascar; Malaysia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Martinique; Mauritania; Mexico; Micronesia, Federated States of ; Monaco; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nauru; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Niue; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Pitcairn; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Russian Federation; Saint Barthélemy; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part); Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Sint Maarten (Dutch part); Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Spain; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States (Aleutian Is., Hawaiian Is.); United States Minor Outlying Islands; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Viet Nam; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Wallis and Futuna; Western Sahara; Yemen

• Berbania: worldwide

• Reinachos: worldwide

• Delphia: worldwide

• Sawintir: worldwide

Killer whales were very intelligent and were tamed by using leftover tunas and sharks as pay honestly.

Great American Interchange Era - 2.7 m-1.8 m BCE

However, this was later changed in 1996 by Italian paleontologist Giovanni Bianucci because the back of the tooth root was too large and the specimen actually dates to the Pliocene. In 1988, Italian paleontologist Georg Pilleri assigned isolated Middle Miocene teeth, specimen MGPT-PU13981, from Savoy, France to the species. Bianucci also discovered a beak fragment from Tuscany's Late Pliocene that had tooth sockets and may have belonged to the species.

Bereshit - 300,000-10,000 BCE

The killer whale, also known as the orca, was modified as part of Project Pashneia, a scientific endeavor by the Terran branch of the Aesirs or Deities to create any creatures, including humans, monsters, or other animals, in terms of their own. The Aesirs developed a number of technologies—the artifacts that mankind would later refer to as "Pieces of Eden" or "Terran Ancient Artifacts"—to enforce their control over people, monsters, animals, and other entities. Some of these Terran Ancient Artifacts were thought to be capable of simultaneously tapping into a network of Aurorium neurotransmitters deep within the brains of people or other creatures, ensuring complete obedience through the use of adamantium-based remote mind control.

Coming soon

Earth

• Terran Saurfolk: Rannók

• Sawintiran Saurfolk: Aktlònk

• Tagalog: Orka, Buhakag ng itim, Balyenang itim

• Malay: Orka

• Indonesian: Paus pemangsa, Paus pembunuh, Orka

• Navajo: Łóóʼtsoh łizhin dóó łigaaígíí

• Japanese: シャチ (Shachi)

• Korean: 범고래 (Beomgorae)

• Turkish: Katil balina

• Finnish: Miekkavalas

• Northern Sami: Fahkon

• Western Elvish: Ngoghä

• Eastern Elvish: Nokkal

• Bulgarian: Косатка (Kosatka)

• Russian: Косатка (Kosatka)

• Welsh: Orca gwryw, Orca

• French: Epaulard, Orque

• Spanish: Espadarte, Orca

• Afrikaans: Moordvis

Thatrollwa

• Delphian: Orkă (Оркӑ)

• Sotovian: Órkă (О́ркӑ)

• Delphian Creole: Órkă (О́ркӑ)

• It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus since present-day.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/15421/50368125

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Orca-Killer-Whale-860568236

• https://www.eagleeyeadventures.com/blog/are-orca-whales-dangerous-to-humans

• https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/killer-whale

• http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=64541

• https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Orcinus-orca.html

• https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/facts-about-orcas/

• https://www.bitrue.com/blog/marcus-hale-crypto-ceo-death