Killer Whale Facts

Killer Whale Facts

The killer whale, or Orcinus orca, is one of the most beautiful animals in the world. A killer whale is a very large animal that can be more than fifteen feet in length upon maturity. The large dorsal fin on the whale is used to allow a whale to stabilize its movements. It can be up to six feet high for a male and four feet high for a female.

The birthing period for a killer whale can take a while. It will take sixteen months for a female to produce and give birth. After this the mother will nurse the newborn for a year.

The teeth that a killer whale has for eating fish and various marine mammals are very large. A whale can have about forty to sixty teeth with these teeth being up to three inches long and one inch in diameter. These teeth will have a great deal of food each day because a whale can eat about five percent of its weight per day. Whales use echolocation to locate their pray by sending echo waves and waiting for the sound to bounce back from the object.

Killer whales can be found foraging for food, traveling around the water and resting by slowing down in the water. All of these activities are generally done in groups. Interesting fact about killer whales is that female are the dominant figure in the pod and they usually outnumber males. Male whales average 30 years lifespan while females can live up to 80 years. Interestingly these killer moms have excellent baby sitting organization.