Page 37 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators

Killer whales

7. Where do

orcas live? 11. How much does an orca eat?
Both male and female killer whales
Killer whales are thought to be the weigh several thousand kilos and need
second most widely distributed lots of energy to power their huge
mammals on the planet, beaten to bodies. To meet its energy needs, an
the title only by humans. They live average orca eats around 225 kilograms
in all of the world’s oceans, able to (500 pounds) of food every day.
tolerate a range of temperatures and
conditions. As generalist feeders they
can adapt their diets to the food
available in the area. Pods rarely stay
in the same place; one group was
observed making a journey of more
than 2,000 kilometres (1,243 miles)
from Alaska to waters near California.

8. How do they

communicate?

Communication is important both
for coordination during hunts
and for socialising within the pod. 10. Do all killer whales prefer the same foods?
Like dolphins, killer whales can While killer whales have a huge variety of potential
communicate with each other prey species, some pods have become specialists with
using high-pitched clicks. These a few favourite foods. Calves tend to stick to the prey
clicks also allow them to echolocate, their pods prefer, continuing the family tradition. This is
building up a picture of their just part of the unique culture that passes through the
generations of each pod.
surroundings using information from
the returning echoes.

9. Does anything hunt orcas?
As apex predators at the very top of 12. How long have killer whales

the food chain, killer whales have no been around?
natural predators. Humans are the It’s believed that killer whales first

only animals willing to attempt to evolved around 11 million years
catch and kill them. ago. Today different groups have
different behaviours and cultures,
despite sharing a common ancestor

13. Are orcas intelligent?
After the sperm whale, the killer whale as recently as 200,000 years ago.
has the largest brain of any marine
mammal. Orcas use their intelligence to
coordinate complex and effective attacks
on predators, and teach new techniques
to young pod members. Each group
has its own dialect, and orcas have even
been observed mimicking the sounds of
bottlenose dolphins.

14. What do killer whales eat?
Killer whales are generalists, hunting
and eating prey including fish,
dolphins, sharks, whales, squid, seals,
rays and seabirds.

15. How fast can they swim?

Orcas are speedy swimmers – they’ve

been recorded moving through the
water as fast as 54 kilometres (33.5 © All images across spread: Getty

miles) per hour, and pods can travel
over 150 kilometres (93 miles) in a day.

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