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Name: Holly Gerardi
TAXONOMY
Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordate
Class- Mammalia
Family- Oceanic Dolphins - Delphinidae
Order- Therapsia
Genus- Orcinus
Species- Orca
EVOLUTION
Subspecies - Resident, Transient and Offshore
How long have they been on this planet? - They have evolved from a small deer like animal about 50 million years ago
Closest Living Relative- Hippos
Three Ancestors- Pakicetidae, Ambulocetidae, Remingtonocetidae
DESCRIPTION
Orcas or killer whales are mostly black but they have a white spot near the eye and on their stomachs. They also have a white or grey spot on their dorsal fin. They have a very distinct look.
Length - 32 feet
Weight - About 11 tons
Orcas are can live anywhere between 30 to 90 years
On male orcas their dorsal fin is much larger and sticks up in a more triangular shape. Females have a bend to their fins that goes slightly backwards. Females are also smaller than males.
DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT
Orcas live in the in colder waters in southern antarctic and pacific so they don't have to worry about rain fall as much as it having to do with global warming.
They interact with sealions, sharks, other whales, dolphins, seals and many more. They also prefer to live in colder climates, but that doesn't mean you can't find them in a warmer climate as well. Orcas move for where the most food is so their climate changes all the time.
DISTRIBUTION
DIET
Continents found - You can find Orcas all over the world but they are commonly found in colder waters. They are mostly found in Arctic and Antarctica.
Are Killer Whales Invasive - No, Orcas are not an invasive species
Orcas are on the top of the food chain meaning they are an apex predator. They eat fish, squid, and sometime other toothed whales. Orcas also love to eat seals and sometimes they will even target an animal bigger than itself. Orcas eat a lot of food throughout the day. They consume about 375 pounds of meat a day.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Orcas travel and live in pods which are most of the times made up families with anywhere from 5-30 whales in a pod. Orcas are very social animals and share a lot of the same responsibilities. Male and females do the same things to help the pod like hunting, raising kids, and taking care of the old and sick. The pod normally has a older female called the matriarch and then her female and male descendants. Males tend to stay with their mom for a while when females venture away from the pod, but never to far away. Each pod has a specific call or dialects that helps them communicate with each other.
REPRODUCTION
Orcas can reproduce when ever they want but they mostly do it in the summer but they can breed three up to ten years. They do not keep one mate for life but they do make sure that they sound of the whale they do mate with is different enough for a good amount of genetic diversity. Orcas only have one baby at a time but can have more over the course of time.
DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT
They start to develop by their dorsal fin growing and the yellow tint to their skin turns to a white color. Orcas start to reproduce around 14-15 years old.
babies are very playful and curious but they also stay close to their mom. As they get older they learn the calls of their pod and how to hunt. Males have a white pattern on their tale where the female has one that is different and a bit more rounded.
CAUSES OF DEATH
Predation - These animals are apex predators so that means that they don't really have to worry about any animal trying to kill and eat them.
Sexual Competition - Orcas have to make sure they pick the right mate to mate with by listening to the sounds of other pods and trying to find a sound that is very different from theirs. They do this so that they can make sure there is genetic diversity. Orcas don't really compete for females they will just mate if they are different enough, the female could also be pregnant but still mate with another male after. It doesn't really matter because male orcas are super involved after the mating is done.
Disease - Stomach ulcers, tumors, skin disease, heart disease, respiratory issues and they are also known to have Hodgkin's disease.
Other - Humans, oil spills and parasites
COMPETITION
Inter Species - Long finned and short finned pilot whale
Intra Species - Salmon
Who competes for the food? - Birds, fish, sharks
What invasive species affects orcas? - Zebra Mussel
IUCN RATING
What is the rating? - IUCN 3.1
Population - Around 50,000 Orcas are around the world
Population Trend - Since 2006 the population of orcas has been decreasing
Impact Humans Have
Impact Humans Have
We have done a lot more bad more these animals than good. We create oil spills which ruin their natural habitat, we also introduced invasive species to their water with our boats. Humans then created sea world which is just wrong on so many levels. Old hunters where the first to interact with these animals and they got along well. Sea World announced in 2016 that they are no longer breeding orcas and that this pod will be the last at the park. Humans did good by showing the world how bad sea world is and putting a end to capturing these animals from a world they deserve to be in. They are to big of an animals to live in such a small area.
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