1. KILLER WHALES

2. BASIC INFORMATION Classification:
Order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales)
Family Delphinidae (dolphins)
Orcinus orca = killer whale
Distribution
found in all oceans, all habitats
Population
No longer endangered (due in large part to Shamu)

3. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Males can range anywhere from ft., weigh 8,000-12,000 lbs.
Females can range from ft., weighing 3,000-8,000 lbs.

4. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

5. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Have countershading = dark coloration on the dorsal side, light coloration on the ventral side
Countershading is a form of camouflage
Have disruptive coloration
Disruptive coloration are the white and gray patches on their bodies that break up their body shape (so they don’t look like a black torpedo)
Disruptive coloration also acts as a form of camouflage

6. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

7. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Dorsal fin is made of connective tissue
Stabilizes the whale as it swims
Keeps the whale from spinning
Can reach heights of 6 ft. in males, 4 ft. in females

8. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Head has conical shaped teeth used for grasping prey
DO NOT CHEW! Rip tear and swallow their prey whole
Killer whale and elephant seal

9. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Breathe through a single blowhole located near the top of their head
It is like their nose; it leads directly to their lungs
When relaxed, it is closed; they must come to the surface to breathe

10. KILLER WHALE SENSES Well-developed sense of hearing
Smell is completely absent in all whales
Sound production is made for two reasons: communication and navigation
Communication: Squeeze area called nasal sacs (located behind the blowhole) to make whistles and squeaks (known as calls)
Pods share the same calls
Scientists can distinguish between pods based on these calls
Mothers and calves can distinguish each other based on their calls

11. KILLER WHALE SENSES Navigation used for echolocation
Echolocation is the ability to find and discriminate objects by listening to their echoes
Produce clicks through nasal sacs that travel and are amplified by the melon (which is filled with fats)
Sounds travel as a beam into the water
~1 mile/second = 4.5 times faster than air
Sounds bounce off objects and return to the whale as an echo

12. KILLER WHALE SENSES Echo passes through fat-filled lower jaw
Then passes to the inner ear then the brain where it is interpreted
They can interpret size, shape, speed, distance and direction of an object
Melon
Outgoing sound
Incoming echo

13. BEHAVIOR Live in groups called pods Pods are long-term social units
Usually consist of a dominant female, her sisters and aunts, etc. and their calves
Adult males usually travel together
Killer whales often hunt together
Are the top predators
Eat fish, seals, sea lions, sea birds, baleen whales, penguins
Are considered to be opportunistic feeders

14. BEHAVIOR

15. REPRODUCTION Gestation is 17 months
Calves are born throughout the year
Give birth approximately every 5 years
Give birth usually to one calf at a time (two calves can happen)
Calf is about 8 ft. long, lbs. (about the size of a fully grown bottlenose dolphin)
May nurse for 12 months

16. REPRODUCTION