Orca Appreciation: The Magnificence of Killer Whales
As we’ve learnt in Eco Club, the Earth’s oceans are full of diverse and intelligent creatures. Roo, for example, is one such animal; they take the form of the clever octopus. Other mighty beasts include whale, dolphins, and the predatory orca. In today’s blog, we’ll be talking about the latter. Plus, ways you can help to protect their environment.
What is An Orca?
An orca (also known as a killer whale) is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. It is the largest member. Recognisable by its black-and-white patterned body, killer whales are found in almost all the world’s oceans. They are apex predators meaning they have no natural predators. Like wolves, they hunt in packs — searching for a diet consisting of fish, squid, octopus, whales, sea birds, and sea turtles.
Types of Killer Whale
There are thought to be three to five types of killer whales distinct enough to be different races or subspecies. Identified off the west coast of Canada and the United States, they are:
- Resident. Most commonly sighted int he coastal water of the northeast Pacific, these orcas dine primarily on fish. They exist in complex and cohesive family groups called “pods”.
- Transient or Bigg’s. These whales diet exclusively on marine mammals including whale calves. They travel in small groups and have less complex dialects.
- Offshore. First spotted in 1988, these whales travel far from shore and primarily eat schooling fish. They generally congregate in groups of 20-75, with occasional spotting of larger groups up to 200. They appear to be smaller than other types of killer whales.
Transients and residents live the same areas, but avoid each other.
Additionally, observed in the Antarctic, there are:
- Type A. They look like a “typical” orca, live in open water, and feed on minke whales.
- Type B. Smaller than Type A, these whales mostly eat seals.
- Type C. The smallest, these whales live in larger groups and prey on Antarctic cod.
- Type D. Based on fewer citing, this type has a small white eye patch and smaller teeth. They appear to prey on Patagonian tooth fish.
Community
A typical day for an orca consists of foraging, travelling, resting, and socialising. They are notable for their complex societies only observed in other animals such as elephants and higher primates.
North Pacific whale groups exist on marlines with the eldest female, her sons and daughters, the descendants of her daughters, and so on. Because female orcas live to reach 90, as many as four generations can travel tougher.
Closely related marlins form loss groups called pods. Unlike the marlines, these pods may separate for weeks or months at a time. Orcas of the same age group engage in physical contact and synchronous surfacing, providing evidence of friendships.
Like whales and other cetaceans, killer whales depend heavily on underwater sound for orientation, feeding and communication. They produce three categories of sound:
- Clicks — used primarily for navigation and locating prey and other objects in the surrounding area.
- Whistles.
- Pulsed Calls.
All members of a resident pod use similar calls known collectively as a direct. Additionally, call patterns and structure are distinctive within marlines. Orcas learn these dialects through contact with other pod members. When one pod interacts with other dominant call types decrease and subset call types increase. This is called biphonation.
Intelligence
The orca has the second-heaviest brain among marine mammals. They:
- Can imitate others: used to teach skills to their kin.
- Demonstrate curiosity, playfulness, and ability to solve problems. Including: stealing fish from longlines, moving objects from humans reach, having “snowball fights” with researchers.
Protecting the Oceans
One or more orca types may actually be separate, endangered species. Check out how you can help protect them!
- Eat sustainable seafood. Decreased fish populations have damaging effects of ocean ecosystems. Thus, leaving whales to starve.
- Reduce plastic use. Use reusable grocery bags to stop plastic bags ending up in whales’ stomaches. Additionally, avoid beauty products that contain micro plastics.
- Switch to natural cleaners. Toxic ingredients affect an orca’s hormone function and reproductive health. What’s more, a mother can pass these toxins to her calfs. Instead, chose products like baking soda and vinegar as a cheaper and more eco-friendly alternative.
- Choose responsible ways to observe whales in their natural habit. Avoid seeing orcas in captivity or with companies that harm, disturb, or affect whales with their presence.
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