Killer Whale

killer whale or grampus, a large, rapacious marine mammal, Orcinus orca, of the dolphin family. Male killer whales may reach a length of 30 ft (9 m) and females half that length. The killer whale is black above, with a sharply contrasting white oval patch around each eye; its belly is white with white markings projecting up along the animal's sides. It has a high, triangular dorsal fin midway between head and tail, and broad, paddle-shaped flippers. The killer whale is worldwide in distribution. It is a swift and ferocious animal, armed with more than four dozen sharp teeth, and is the only cetacean (see whale) that feeds regularly on birds or mammals. Killer whales eat seals, sea birds, and fish, and in packs they will even attack larger whales. The female gives birth to a single calf, up to 7 ft (2.1 m) long, following a gestation period of approximately one year. Females mature in 6 to 7 years, males in 12. They are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Cetacea, family Delphinidae.

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killer whale

 or orca

Killer whale (Orcinus orca).

(credit: Miami Seaquarium)

A species (Orcinus orca) of toothed whale found in all seas from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Largest of the dolphins, the male may be 30 ft (9 m) long and weigh over 10,000 lbs (4,500 kg). The killer whale is black, with white on the underparts, above each eye, and on each flank. The snout is blunt, and the strong jaws have 40–50 large, sharp, conical teeth. Killer whales live in groups of a few to about 50 individuals. They feed on fishes, cephalopods, penguins, and marine mammals; though they are fierce predators of seals and even other whales, there is no recorded instance of a killer whale attacking a human. They are often kept in captivity and trained as performers in marine shows.

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killer whale

a predatory black-and-white toothed whale, Orcinus orca, with a large erect dorsal fin, most common in cold seas: family Delphinidae

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killer whale [′kil·ər ‚wāl]

(vertebrate zoology)

Orcinus orca.A predatory, cosmopolitan cetacean mammal, about 30 feet (9 meters) long, found only in cold waters.

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Killer Whale 

(Orcinus orea), an aquatic mammal of the family Delphinidae.

The males of the killer whale reach 10 m in length and weigh as much as 8 tons, the females reach 7 m and weigh as much as 4 tons. The back and sides of the animal are black, the throat is white, and there is a white stripe down the abdomen. There is a white spot over each eye and, in the male, behind the dorsal fin. The pectoral fins are blunt and broad, and the dorsal fin is high (to 1.7 m in males and 0.9 m in females). There are 40-52 teeth.

The killer whale is cosmopolitan, found from the equator to the ice of the arctic and antarctic. In the USSR, it is found commonly in the waters of the Kuril Shelf and the Komandor Islands. There are none in the Laptev and Black seas. The animals stay in small herds. They feed on fish, cephalopods, and marine mammals. Only the large males attack other whales, and this only rarely. The killer whale is voracious, although not dangerous to man. It can live for long periods in captivity, in pens and aquariums. The animals eat up to 160 kg offish per day. They learn quickly. The gestation period lasts about 16 months. The calf is 2.1-2.8 m long at birth. The animal lives up to 50 years. Males reach sexual maturity at a length of 5.8 m; females, at 4.9 m. Killer whales do some damage to the fur-trapping and whaling industries. Each animal yields meat and as much as a ton of fat.

REFERENCES

Tomilin, A. G. Kitoobraznye. (Zveri SSSR i prilezhashchikh stran, vol. 9.) Moscow, 1957.
Tomilin, A. G. Del’finy sluzhat cheloveku. Moscow, 1969.
Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 6. Moscow, 1971.

A. G. TOMILIN