The typical killer whale always has black cavities on the back, white spots on the chest and flanks, as well as another white patch above and behind the eyes. Killer whales are also known for possessing superior hunting skills and quite cruel hands. There are many other interesting information about this fish in the article below, let's find out with me!
1. Taxonomy and evolution
The killer whale, also known as the great black dolphin or orca (scientific name: Orca) is a species of toothed whale in the ocean dolphin family, and the largest subspecies of dolphin. Killer whales live in all the world's oceans, from the Arctic and Antarctic oceans to warmer tropical seas.
The recorded killer whale is the only extant species of the genus Orcinus. Killer whales are one of 35 species in the family of dolphins, which arose about 11 million years ago. The whale dolphin lineage probably branched off soon after.
Although it shares morphological similarities with the Dwarf orcas, the porpoise, and the genus Pilot Whale, its closest living relative is the dolphin.
2. "Not bored" of any opponent even the smartest and most ferocious
Killer whales are the "nightmare" of dolphins in general (their kind in theory). Although also agile and extremely intelligent, there are very few cases of poor dolphins escaping from the jaws with more than 50 sharp teeth, sharp teeth of these professional killers.
Besides dolphins, another fierce sea god, which possesses remarkable strength and is also exceptionally intelligent but still becomes a high-protein meal for killer whales, that is the great white shark - one of The most ferocious fish in the ocean.
It can be said that killer whales are the top predators of the ocean, meaning they themselves do not have any enemies in the wild. They are intelligent, strong, agile, and extremely skillful. Perhaps the number one enemy of killer whales on earth is just humans
3. Especially like to attack "children"
Perhaps the killer whale should be nicknamed the boggart of the ocean because they are extremely fond of hunting and eating their young, from seals, sea lions to even baby sperm whales.
Killer whales are particularly fond of attacking young humpback whales. By hunting in groups (usually an entire family of 3-5 or even two families combined), they separate the baby whale from the mother and then continuously "act" terrible headbutts, attacking humpback whales until it dies.
Perhaps it is for this reason that nearly all species of giant sperm whales dislike killer whales. If you regularly monitor, you will not be surprised to see that humpback whales or blue whales often actively attack killer whales, and of course not to eat meat because their main food is animals. molluscs and small fish, but to protect the killer whale's own prey, true to the saying "the enemy of your enemy is your friend".
According to statistics, up to 87% of humpback whales appear when the opponent is hunting and 89% of humpback whales are present at the right time when killer whales are attacking other animals.
4. Hold in hand the superior hunting Technology
Killer whales are famous for their group hunting tactics and know how to plan perfectly in many situations. Not only that, they also possess very complex and extremely effective finishing techniques. One of them is the "super move" karate chop.
Oceanographer Dr Ingrid Visser, who has studied killer whales' predatory behavior for more than 20 years, describes this tactic as follows:
- The killer whale will use its powerful tail to "drive" the shark close to the surface of the water. They don't even touch the shark, but only use the thrust from the tail, creating an underground wave that pushes the shark up to the surface of the water.
- After the shark has been pushed to the surface, the killer whale will immediately swing, roll up out of the water and use its tail to cut down on the head of the prey, making it dizzy, even unconscious. .
In addition, killer whales also have another secret technique used to hunt great white sharks, extremely simple but surprisingly effective, which is headbutting. After detecting prey, the killer whale will gain momentum and ram the opponent with terrifying force, or stealthily approach the shark from directly below and suddenly launch an attack in the direction. belly. Before the hit from the "meat block" weighing no less than 4 tons, the great white shark will be stunned. Next, the killer whale simply grabs the ill-fated shark, flips it over, and enjoys its protein-rich meal. The scary thing here is that the killer whales have very well understood the biological weakness of the shark and made perfect use of it.
In addition, in Ocean World, sharks are known to be one of the perfect hunting machines of the ocean, they have almost no weaknesses, except for being upside down, they will immediately fall into paralyzed state. Perhaps after many encounters with great white sharks, the killer whales realized that if they turned the shark over, the shark would not fight back, and they were smart enough to grasp this weakness. After years of accumulating hunting experience, turning himself into a "nightmare" of any shark. That is also the scariest point of killer whales, they are extremely intelligent, know how to build hunting tactics from learned experience, and apply it to each different situation in a reasonable way.
5. Be aware of human danger.
Humans are the dominant species on the planet. We easily tame the largest animal on the earth: Turn elephants into circus performers or effective assistants for heavy work. In the ocean, humans have hunted sperm whales - the largest fish on the planet for hundreds of years, even putting some whale species on the brink of extinction, and killer whales are no exception.
Killer whales are very intelligent, but they are certainly not as intelligent as humans. As a result, many killer whales have perished at the hands of humans, throughout the centuries-old history of fisheries and navigation. In just three years, from 1978 to 1981, 346 killer whales were exterminated off the coast of Norway. This number only stops when there is a ban from the Local Government.
The lucky survivors seem to have never forgotten that, and as mentioned, killer whales are smart enough to learn from the events they experience in their lives. A colony of killer whales is usually led by an adult female, and scientists believe it was this "wise mother" who passed on her bloody experiences to other members of the herd. knowing how to recognize and stay away from fishing boats.
6. Have a tight social organization
Speaking of the interoperability among herd members, there is a lot of evidence that killer whales are extremely loving to their fellow humans, unlike many other animals.
Killer whales swim with at least 5 different groups of orcas, and the interesting thing is that all of them love and care for this injured fish - an extremely rare thing in the animal world because there are always Competition between populations and injured individuals are often left to die. Once, the team witnessed a moving scene: two killer whales breaking waves on the ocean surface, and each one holding a large herring in its mouth for the injured.
Killer whales are extremely social creatures, more so than any other animal on the planet except humans. That is why killer whales often run aground in groups, because when one member accidentally swims into shallow water and runs aground, the other members of the group will not abandon it and find a way.” rescue".
7. Consume about 227 kg of food per day
Imagine this whale as an eight-ton iceberg, all of which is powerful in the cold waters of the Arctic. The sea animals that live on the ice have almost no chance of escaping as they fall into the sea and become a meal for one of the ocean's top predators – the giant killer whale!
Killer whales, also known as orcas, hunt everything from fish to seals, sea lions, penguins, squid, sea turtles, sharks and even other whale species. on their menu. Depending on the season and where they live, their diets also change – some eat a lot of fish and squid, others mainly eat seals and penguins. But in any ocean in the world, an average whale can consume about 227 kg of food per day!
8. Killer whales have about 45 Sheet
Adult killer whales are very different and cannot be confused with any other marine life. When viewed from a distance, the juveniles can be mistaken for a species of whale, such as the bellfish or the Risso dolphin. Whale dolphins teeth are very strong and covered with enamel, their jaws are powerful clamping machines, the upper teeth fill the space between the lower teeth when the mouth is closed. The incisors tend to tilt slightly forward and outward, thus allowing it to withstand strong jerks from the prey while the middle and molars hold the prey firmly in place.
Killer whales have about 45 teeth (about 7.6 cm each), which are very sharp for use in biting and tearing prey. Instead of chewing their food they often gobble up food – and believe it or not, these giant monsters can even swallow small seals and sea lions! Larger prey is torn into small pieces before being eaten.
9. The white streaks on their body help them hide and attack their prey
Scientists believe that the color streaks on the body of killer whales can help them evade and attack prey. Their backs are black and their bellies white. When other animals view this powerful predator from above, it looks like a sea dog standing on an iceberg. They may not even be recognized because the whale's black back is intertwined with the water below.
On the other hand, the killer whale's white underbelly blends with the light falling from the sea surface and this makes it even more difficult for other animals to recognize them. This ingenious camouflage means that prey such as fish, penguins and seals will ignore the lurking danger and continue on their way, then these ill-fated animals will become Killer Whale's meal at any time.
10. The mobility of killer whales
Killer whales are distinguished by their mobility, which makes them even more dolphin-like. Killer whales love to be active and move around in the water. During the pursuit of the victim, the killer whale does not jump out, but remains in the water.
Usually killer whales are very attracted to the sound that a motorboat makes. Killer whales can chase it for a very long time. These "inhabitants" of the oceans and seas can sail at a speed of 56 km/h. At that speed, killer whales also took the top spot as the fastest-moving cetacean.
11. Range and habitat
Killer whales have been found in all oceans and most seas. Because of their large range, numbers, density, and distribution, it is difficult to assess their distribution, but they clearly prefer high latitude waters and upper aquifers.
The survey system shows the highest densities of whale dolphins (>0.4 individuals/100 km²) in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean around the coast of Norway, in the northern Pacific Ocean along the coast of Norway. Aleutian Islands, the Gulf of Alaska and in the Southern Ocean are located far from Antarctica.
12. Killer whale life cycle
Female killer whales reach maturity at the age of 15, after which they enter a period of estrus and a period of no cycles between 3-16 months. The gestation period is from 15-18 months.
To avoid inbreeding, males and females mate from other flocks. The mother who is raising her child, always has only one child, about one in 5 years.
Females breed until about 40 years of age, which means that on average they raise five young. The average life expectancy of the females is about 50 years old, the maximum can be up to 80-90 years old. A female named Granny (J2) is estimated to be around 103 years old.
Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 15, but usually mate at the age of 21. The average lifespan of males is about 29 years, with a maximum of 50-60 years. A male named Old Tom appeared every winter in New South Wales, Australia between the 1840s and the 1930s and was about 90 years old.
Above are interesting discoveries about killer whales that you may not know. Hope the above information brings a lot of knowledge and useful information to you.
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