SCIENTIFIC NAME: Orcinus orca

COMMON NAME: Killer Whale; in recognition of the significant role of warm-blooded prey in its diet; derivation of the name "whale killer" once used by whalers.

DISCOVERED: Linnaeus, 1758

EXTERNAL ANATOMY:

Very tall, straight characteristic dorsal fin up to 6 ft. (1.8 m) in males
Jet black and pure white coloration
White patch behind each eye
Gray saddle patch behind dorsal fin
White chin, chest and sides
Large, paddle-shaped flippers
Robust, heavy, stocky body
Rounded head tapers to a point
Indistinct beak
Average adult body length: 6.7-8 m (males) 5.7-6.6 m (females)
Average body weight: 4-6.3 tons (males) 2.6-3.8 tons (females)

SWIMMING ADAPTATIONS

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:

Widely distributed in all oceans and most seas, from the coast to the very deepest waters
Patchy distribution
Able to live, reproduce and feed throughout the year in either warm or cool waters
No regular patterns of migration
Movements occur due to ice cover in high latitudes and food availability elsewhere

NATURAL HISTORY:

HABITAT:

Adaptable to almost any conditions
Generally prefers deep water but is found in shallow bays, inland seas, and estuaries

FOOD & FEEDING:

One of the most varried diets of all cetateans
Prey include at least 24 species of cetaceans, five species of pinniped, dugong, 30 species of fish, seven species of bird and two specoes of squid, inaddition to a variety of other warm-blooded and cold-blooded sea creatures, such as turtles
Feeding dives to depths of less than 100m
Pods cooperate during a hunt
Pods tend to specialize and frequently ignore potential prey

LIFE CYCLE:

Reproductive characteristics have not been firmly established
Gestation lasts at least a year, perhaps several months longer
Calves born in fall and winter
Calves dependent for more than a year
Calving interval averages more than 2 years

BEHAVIOR:

Breaching, lobtailing, flipper-slapping and spyhopping common
Other behavior includes beach-rubbing, speed-swimming, logging and dorsal fin slapping
Can travel at up to 34 mph (55 km/h)
Travel in pods of 3-25 whales
Two or more pods may come together to form superpods of 150 or more whales
Members of pod stay together for life
Groups of closely related pods (known as clans) develop their own unique dialects
Highly inquisitive and approachable

WORLD POPULATION:

Total world population unknown

350 in Vancouver Island, Canada and Washington State
6618 in Iceland and Faeroese
289 in Shekilof Strait, Prince William Sound and southeastern Alaska
total of 324 individuals in Alaska

HUMAN INFLUENCES:

Captured by commercial whalers on regular basis
No fishery aimed at killer whalers has developed
Subjected to control measures because of their extensive diets