15 killer whale (orca) facts
- Killer Whales (orcas) are aquatic mammals. They nurse their babies with milk from their mothers.
- Orcinus orca is the only recognized species in the genus Orcinus, one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in 1758 in Systema Naturae.
- Killer Whales are cetaceans which belong to the order Delphinidae. This means that they are “Dolphins” regardless the word “whale” is in its name.
- The name "killer whale" derives from the Spanish "ballena asesina" ("killer whale" in English), evidently coming from sailors who observed them hunting whales.
- "Killer whale" advocates point out that its naming heritage is not limited to Spanish sailors. Indeed, the genus name Orcinus means "of or belonging to the kingdom of the dead"
- They are sometimes referred to as blackfish, a name also used for other whale species.
- Grampus is a former name for the species, but is now seldom used.
- As mammals, Killer Whales need to breathe air from the top of the ocean, they cannot breathe under water like fish.
- Orcas are called "Killer Whales" because they feed on several other marine mammals, like seals or dolphins, not because they kill people.
- Also, there is the fact that some members of the species have killed people (although such killings occur only when the whales are in captivity and never in the wild).
- The term "orca" is preferred by some to avoid the negative connotations of "killer", and because the species is a type of dolphins rather than a whale.
- Killer Whales eat up to 5% of their body weight each day. This averages out to over 500 pounds of food for each Killer Whale.
- Killer Whales are very good swimmers. They are capable to travel up to 30 mph. and reach deep waters.
- Killer Whales gestation period is around 16 to 17 months and they usually give birth to only one calf.
- Killer whales are grouped in pods, the base of their social structure formed by 6 to 40 individuals.
