Order Cetacea
Family Delphinidae
Scientific Name
Orcinus orca
Other Names
Orca whale or orca, blackfish, grampus
Thumbnail Description
Killer whales are the largest living members of the dolphin family. They have the second-heaviest brains of marine mammals
Size and Weight
LENGTH: (male) 7 to 9 metres (23 to 30 ft); (female) 6 – 8 m (20 to 26 ft)
WEIGHT: (male) 6 tonnes (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons); (female) 3 to 4 tonnes (3.0 to 3.9 long tons; 3.3 to 4.4 short tons)
Habitat
Arctic, Antarctic to tropical seas
Distribution
Northeast Atlantic, Norwegian coast, north Pacific, Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, Southern Ocean, Antarctica
Diet
Sharks, rays, eagle rays, long-tail and short-tail stingrays, common threshers, smooth hammerheads, blue sharks, shortfin mako sharks, seal, sea lion, fur seal, walruses, sea otters, cormorants, porpoises, gulls, weddell seals, crabeater seals, leopard seals, penguins
Reproduction
1
Population
50,000
Lifespan
90 years
Speed
56 km/h (30 knots)
Predators
No natural predator
Sounds
Unknown
Behavior
Unknown
Conservation Status
Near Threatened
