Killer whale is a big whale. Killer whale or killer whale - which is correct? killer whale - marine mammal

The killer whale is an aquatic mammal that belongs to the dolphin family and is the only representative of the killer whale genus today.

Fossils of this species have been found in Italy (Tuscany) and England (Suffolk) in Pliocene deposits (about 1.5 million years ago), and the remains of the ancestors of the killer whale, dating back to the prehistoric period, have been found in Northern Europe.

In the Middle Ages, this species was often found, along with whales, off the coast of the Gulf of Gascony. It was during these times that its most ancient French name appeared - epolar.

Some authors found it possible to identify the killer whale with the "orca" of the ancients: but the animal mentioned, in particular by Pliny, under the name orca denoted an indefinite cetacean, which could be either a killer whale or a sperm whale. As noted by Georges Cuvier at the beginning of the 19th century, the animal briefly described by ancient authors under the name of killer whale most likely corresponds to what the Latins called "aries marinus", that is, "sea sheep", which may have been associated with white a spot behind the eye, which depicted something like a horn.

Finally, the oldest Latin name referring to the killer whale is Delphinus orca, or "orca dolphin". Because of the reputation the most dangerous killer killer whale got her English title killer whale (killer whale).
The killer whale was also acting person Indian myths North America. Russian name, presumably comes from the word "braid", with which the high dorsal fin of males is associated.

The scientific name, Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758), changed constantly until it was finally approved. Previously, the name of the killer whale was - Orca Gray, 1846.

Killer whales are large carnivorous dolphins with a characteristic black and white coloration. The length of the male reaches 10 meters, the weight is 8 tons, and the dorsal fin is up to 1.5 meters high, almost straight. Females are slightly smaller, 7 meters in length and up to 4 tons in weight. The fin in females is much lower than in males and not as straight. The killer whale has wide and oval pectoral flippers, which also distinguishes them from other dolphins, they are pointed and sickle-shaped. The killer whale has a short, flattened head without a beak and massive teeth up to 13 cm long, especially for tearing large food. Attacking big booty, capable of speeds up to 55 km / h.

The coloration of the killer whale is especially individual. Black back and sides, white throat and belly. In some forms of Antarctic killer whales, the back is darker than the sides. There is a gray spot behind the dorsal fin. There is a white spot above each eye. Due to algae in the waters of the Antarctic and the Arctic, white spots in the killer whale can be yellowish-green or brown. By the way, killer whales can be distinguished by the shape of the spots, they are like fingerprints. There are also completely black and white individuals, these are melanists and albinos, respectively.

Such "white crows" swim in the north Pacific Ocean.
The distribution of the killer whale is very extensive, it lives throughout the oceans. It swims both near the coast and in open waters, but generally does not sail more than 800 kilometers from the coast. There is no killer whale in the Black, East Siberian and Laptev Seas. Prefers more cold and temperate waters and is less common in the tropics. In Russia, its habitats are the Kuril Ridge and the Commander Islands.

Although the killer whale is a predator with a wide range of food, each individual population has a rather narrow food specialization. So some populations of the Norwegian Sea specialize in herring and every autumn migrate after it to the coast of Norway. Other populations in the same area prey predominantly on pinnipeds. At the same time, food preferences determine the sociobiological characteristics of populations.

When studying Canadian killer whales, two of their varieties were distinguished: “resident” and “transit” killer whales, that is, individuals that hunt in one place and individuals that swim far away in search of prey.

Resident killer whales feed mainly on fish: herring, cod, tuna, mackerel, halibut and salmon, as well as cephalopods, and only occasionally marine mammals. In search of fish, they usually turn into a chain and swim at a speed of about 5 km / h. Due to the lack of food, they can significantly swim away from their usual habitats. Killer whales know exactly where each other is and communicate using echolocation signals. Killer whales press the found school of fish to the shore or drive it into a dense ball near the surface of the water, dive into its middle in turn and drown the fish with tail blows (carousel method). From 5 to 15 individuals take part in such feasts. "Sedentary" killer whales often jump out of the water, inspecting the territory or during games.

Transit killer whales are the so-called "killer whales" that prey on dolphins, whales (grey whale, etc.), pinnipeds, sea otters, sea lions, seals, etc. There are even cases of their attacks on deer and elk, crossing narrow coastal channels. Killer whale teeth marks were found on the bodies of 53% of examined fin whales, 24% of sei whales, 6% of minke whales and 65% of sperm whales. Often, these killer whales in search of prey gather near the rookeries of seals and fur seals, as well as in whaling areas.

As a result of their hunting tactics, which differ from those of resident killer whales, flocks of transit killer whales are 1-5 individuals. The most spectacular method of hunting is throwing killer whales ashore, on the rookeries of sea lions, which regularly occur off the coast of Patagonia. They ambush seals using the bottom topography near the rookeries. This is done by the male, and the rest are in the distance. Killer whales drive small dolphins singly or by surrounding a pod of dolphins with the forces of several groups. And when they hunt for seals or penguins swimming on an ice floe, they try to throw them off by diving under the ice floe and hitting it. Males are predominantly involved in attacking large whales.

They simultaneously pounce on the victim, bite it by the throat and fins, trying to prevent it from rising to the surface, but when attacking a sperm whale, killer whales, on the contrary, try to prevent the victim from going into the depths. Usually they try to separate one whale from the herd or to separate the calf from its mother. Not all attacks are successful. There were cases when killer whales killed large whales, attacking from behind and biting off a little from the victim, after a while she died from blood loss. Quite often, killer whales do not eat the whole whale, eating only the tongue, lips and throat. Teaching young people how to hunt important role in the life of killer whales, so each flock has its own hunting traditions, passed down from generation to generation.

Transit killer whales "talk" less than resident killer whales because they can be heard by other mammals at sea, and are as quiet as possible. This is how resident killer whales communicate using echolocation, while transiting killer whales navigate passively by listening to the noises in the ocean. Analyzing the genomes of transit and resident killer whales, it was found that these forms have not interbred for over 100,000 years.

Killer whales love to eat. A killer whale eats from 50 to 150 kg per day. And at the same time she occupies the top position in food chain, in view of the absence natural enemies and a wide variety of writing.

Killer whales have a complex social. organization. At the head is the maternal group, consisting of a female, cubs of different ages and already adult sons. Several such families or groups, which are headed by related females (sister, cousins), make up a flock. In such a flock there are about 18 individuals related to each other. Each such flock "speaks" in its own way (killer whales make crackling, clicks, squeaks), including the dialect used within this particular flock and the dialect used by all killer whales. Being born, the cub constantly hears certain sounds and, growing up, talks in the same way as relatives. Killer whales like to rub against pebbles, and while scratching from the sounds are not like normal ones. Such a flock can break up for several hours while searching for prey. Several packs may come together to hunt together, for example, or on the assumption of mating. After all, all members of the same flock are relatives. Relations within the pack are very good. The healthy take care of the sick and the old.

Little is known about reproduction. There is an assumption that in killer whales, conception occurs in summer or early autumn. It is also assumed that the gestation period is 16-17 months. Newborns are approximately 2.5 to 2.7 meters long and gray color. After birth, killer whales shed heavily. In total, a female can give birth to up to 6 babies in her entire life, but she gives birth until about 40 years old.
Males live on average up to 35 years, and females up to 50. There are cases when the age of the female was both 70 and 90 years old. Maturation, sexual, occurs at 12-14 years.

To date, killer whales are still being harvested in the waters of Japan, Indonesia and Greenland, although a moratorium on their harvest was put forward in 1981.

Attacks on humans are very rare, and when they do, it's usually just a defense. Killer whales are easy to train and friendly to humans. They become irritable during the breeding season.

The total number of killer whales is not known. In the Antarctic, there are 70-80 thousand of them, in the tropical latitudes of the Pacific Ocean 8 thousand, off the coast of Japan 2 thousand, in the north-east of the Pacific Ocean 1.5 thousand, off the coast of Norway 1.5 thousand individuals.

Due to the constant release of various chemicals, resident killer whales swim away from their usual habitats. Analyzes of tissues of killer whales revealed contamination with chemicals.

Killer whales in the marine biocenosis play the same role as wolves in the land biocenoses, to some extent regulating the number of marine mammals.

They are mainly caught by the Japanese and Norwegians for meat and fat, but there is no regular fishing anywhere.

Killer whales often take a position that is convenient for observing the surroundings. Once on the surface, they sharply raise their heads out of the water or stretch vertically, sometimes showing up to the level of their pectoral fins, as if to cover the entire horizon with their eyes. Several animals from the group and cubs can take the observation posture at the same time. Often, entering the game with other members of the herd, the killer whale sharply beats the water with its fins. The noise that it makes by quickly slapping the surface of the water with its pectoral fins or rhythmically pounding it with its tail blade quickly spreads through the water. Having put her tail out of the water, she shakes it from side to side for a long time or makes amazing jumps: almost completely jumping out of the water, she dives head first or most often falls heavily on her belly, back or side, raising clouds of spray.

Like other dolphins, killer whales love to touch each other. These contacts between individuals are short, the animals spend much more time, sometimes about an hour, rubbing against certain stones at the bottom, which are used only for this purpose. Swimming past algae, killer whales cannot resist the desire to touch them and bring some of the plants to the surface in order to better feel their touch on their tail fins. It is unknown if this is done for play, pleasure, or out of necessity.

On dense schools of fish, the killer whale can peacefully graze with other cetaceans. But if there are no fish or shellfish, it can attack any kind of minke and gray whales, many species of dolphins and pinnipeds, sea otters, penguins, and even dugongs in algae. Dealing with a large prey, predators act as a herd, while females with cubs keep aloof, but are very active when eating prey. In a whale, killer whales open their mouths, dig their teeth into his throat, shred a massive tongue, bite his fins, drown the victim, not allowing it to come up to the surface for breathing. Occasionally, predators attack sperm whale families if there are cubs among them. Killer whales tear their prey sharply, rowing themselves with their pectoral fins.

Predators first surround a herd of seals, walruses or dolphins, and then destroy them one by one. With a back blow from below, they throw off the seals dozing on the ice floes. With a coordinated search, killer whales find schools of fish more easily. They disperse, forming a chain of hunters 2 km long, and swim at a speed of about 5 km/h. Thus, they can survey with echolocation about 10 km2 per hour - a significantly larger area compared to what a single killer whale or a dense group could cover. Echolocation signals allow each animal to determine its position relative to others, stay in contact with them and participate in general activities groups. However, they are not enough when it is necessary to precisely coordinate the actions of the entire group, especially when it comes to surrounding a school of fish; in such cases, the killer whale uses sound signals.

Methods that are justified when looking for schools of fish are completely unsuitable when killer whales hunt marine mammals. This type of hunting has its own characteristics - after all, future victims can either hear predators, catching the sounds they make, which is available to cetaceans (whales or dolphins), or see them, what pinnipeds are capable of. This is why killer whales explore the waters in complete silence, relying only on their hearing. It is thanks to him that predators detect prey by the noise it makes when moving or by the signals it makes. Killer whales are also well aware of the places where whales, seals and fur seals usually gather at certain times of the year to breed.
Orca bite teeth marks were found on the bodies of 53% of examined fin whales, 24% of sei whales, 6% of minke whales and 65% of sperm whales. Before eating their prey, predators play with their prey and teach the cubs the art of hunting.

The sound signals of killer whales are diverse (up to 40 types): from a high varying tone to muffled moans and cries of March cats, some of which are specific to each group and form something like a dialect. Among the signals, whistles and squeals characteristic of dolphins were not heard, but distress signals were noted. Killer whales are not indifferent to music. Each individual can make a specific sound, which is comparable to the timbre of a human voice. It's kind of " business card" allows animals to recognize each other by sound and, perhaps, for some of them, to direct operations.

They are very fast (up to 55 km/h), often change course and quickly recognize danger. In captivity, up to 200 kg of fish are eaten daily.

The killer whale is cosmopolitan: it lives in all oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic, where it goes far into the floating ice. It is less common in the tropics than in cold and temperate waters. Here it concentrates near seal and fur seal rookeries, near powerful schools of fish and in whaling areas, where it feasts on the tongues of dead whales. Apparently doing seasonal migrations like minke whales.

Killer whales are prone to polygamy. They mate more often in winter. In the season of love between a male and a female, everything starts just like when playing: they hit the water with their fins and caress, rubbing their partner and rolling over each other on the surface of the water. Within a very short time - at most 30 seconds - the animals mate either in a horizontal or vertical position; they cling to each other with the ventral side and rely on pectoral fins each other.

In captivity, killer whales are peaceful, quickly get used to a person and take food from his hands. In a fenced-off area of ​​English Bay (near Vancouver, USA), a young killer whale (male 467 cm long and 1 ton in weight) lived for 3 months; she ate 12-15 large salmon fish a day, but refused meat and willingly offered her belly for scratching to visitors. Another killer whale (an adult male Namu, 655 cm long and weighing 3.5 tons) got into the net in June 1965. She was placed in a cage and, without being taken out of the water, was taken by ship to the paddock of Seattle Bay. Here she was fed up to 160 kg of red fish per day. The killer whale made friends with the trainer, willingly rolled him around the bay on her back, allowed him to control her movements and loved very much when she was scratched with a brush.

More than a dozen cases of killer whales are now known to have been kept in pens and aquariums in the United States and Canada. In the round pool of San Diego and in other cities of America, trained killer whales are shown to the public: they jump into the air to their full height, play and throw the ball high, swiftly carry the trainer on their back, open their mouths into which a person puts his head; in pens, these predators get along well with other species of dolphins.

The sea is an inexhaustible source of secrets and mysteries, many of which disturb even venerable scientists. But there are also simple animal lovers who are haunted much more simple problems. For example, killer whale. or a dolphin? Let's answer this question!

Let's start with the fact that this animal belongs to the number aquatic mammals, belongs to the dolphin family. It belongs to the genus of killer whales and is its only representative. The closest relatives have been found only in the Paleocene deposits of the Italian Tuscany.

Who is this killer whale? Is it a whale or a dolphin? The average person will probably answer this question incorrectly, since the wrong name for this animal is common in society.

We are talking about the nickname "killer whale", which he is awarded in special literature and on the pages of the yellow press. Until now, the Latin name of the mammal has not been approved either. Today the name Orca Gray, 1846 is adopted.

This is a predatory dolphin, not a whale! The male can grow up to ten meters in length, weigh about eight tons, and the dorsal fin can reach one and a half meters. Females are about half the size.

The pectoral fins are wide and rounded, while those of other dolphins are pointed and narrow. It is because of this sign that scientists for a long time could not decide which animal the killer whale should be classified with: is it a whale or a dolphin?

This peculiar dolphin is distinguished by a massive and heavy head, in the mouth of which there are teeth 10-13 cm long. They are specifically designed to attack even large prey. By the way, at the time of the attack, the killer whale can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h.

Contrary to popular belief, the coloration of this mammal is purely individual, varying greatly in different individuals. As a rule, the back is black and the belly is white. hallmark- there are white spots above the eyes. It is not uncommon to find completely white specimens.

The “whale” - killer whale (whose photo is in the article) is widespread, occurring in almost all seas. It keeps near the coast, preferring not to swim into the open sea further than 800 km. There are no killer whales in the Black Sea and the Laptev Sea. In our country, it can be found in the region of Commanders and the Kuriles.

Each population has such a narrow food specialization that often ignorant people attribute a variety of atrocities to animals. So, you can meet the question of who is a killer whale: a whale or a shark?

This is due to the fact that some populations can easily hunt for herring all their lives, while others attack only seals. It is not surprising to suspect that killer whales are sea shark predators! However, they also attack the latter, and this happens quite often.

Such oddities expressed in incredible variety diet, Canadian scientists have clarified. They found that all killer whales are divided into two types: "resident" and transit individuals. The first type constantly lives within the same water area, hunting for fish and sea ​​shellfish. They rarely attack large game.

But transit individuals - these are the very "killer whales". They are constantly wandering, as they follow flocks of dolphins, whales, walruses and seals. They love to hunt penguins, knocking them off the ice floes in whole flocks.

Now the question of who the killer whale is (is it a whale or a dolphin) should not cause you to think!

Killer whales are large marine mammals known for their predatory nature. Killer whales should not be confused with killer whales - this word refers to one of the types of swallows, the word killer whale is also called wild duck and several types of catfish. Killer whales are an intermediate form between dolphins and whales. Only 3 species of killer whales are known in the world: a large killer whale, which is often called simply a killer whale without an adjective, a small or black killer whale and a pygmy killer whale. The last two species are little known.

Killer whale (Orcinus orca).

The sizes of the three types of strong are different. The largest species reaches a length of 8-10 m, while the weight of the animal reaches 8 tons. m, its weight is estimated at a couple of hundred kilograms. The structural features of killer whales are similar at the same time to whales and dolphins. Their physique is closer to that of a dolphin: a compact, dense, not too stretched body, short pectoral fins of a rounded shape. The dorsal fin of killer whales is located in the middle of the body, it is very large, sharp in shape, with a notch along the posterior edge (in the pygmy killer whale it is more blunt and short). But unlike real dolphins, killer whales do not have an elongated rostrum (“beak”), the end of their muzzle is rounded and blunt. In this they are similar to whales, just as killer whales release fountains of water when exhaling. IN English language the name of killer whales was assigned to these animals, but despite it, killer whales are systematically closer to dolphins. Internal structure killer whales are not fundamentally different from other cetaceans. They also have developed auditory parts of the brain, they use a wide range of sounds for communication and have the same ability to echolocation. Killer whale teeth are sharp, conical and relatively large, allowing them to tear off large pieces of prey. Among themselves, different types of killer whales, in addition to size, also differ in color. The large killer whale is black, its lower jaw and belly are white, two spots on the sides in the back of the body merge with a white stripe on the belly, two more small spots are behind the eyes. Killer whales are completely black, dwarf ones are black with a single white spot at the anus. Sexual dimorphism in these animals is weakly expressed: only in a large killer whale, males have a white spot behind the dorsal fin, which females do not have, in addition, they differ in the shape of the dorsal fin, in other species the difference between the sexes is reduced to larger sizes of males.

In male killer whales, the dorsal fin is long and narrow, while in females it is twice as short and more blunt. Spots behind the fin indicate that the killer whales in this photo are male.

Habitats different types do not match. Large killer whales are distributed throughout all oceans and seas (with the exception of shallow inland), but are more common in cold waters. There are especially many killer whales off the coast of Alaska, Patagonia, Chile - where cold currents abound with fish. The little killer whale does not enter the Arctic and Antarctic waters, its range covers primarily temperate and warm waters Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The pygmy killer whale is the most thermophilic and rare. It is found off the coast of Southwest Africa, Eastern Australia, the Hawaiian Islands, in Gulf of Mexico, less often in others subtropical zones oceans. Killer whales do not make such long-distance migrations as whales, but they cannot be called completely sedentary either. So, among the large killer whales, two types of animals were distinguished: sedentary, preferring to hunt fish, and transit (nomadic) groups that hunt large animals. Like dolphins, killer whales are very mobile, a pygmy killer whale can reach speeds of up to 37 km / h, a large one - up to 55 km / h. While moving, killer whales do not jump out of the water, but can perform jumps and somersaults during games.

Herd of small or black killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens).

Herds of large killer whales number 10-17 animals, small and dwarf ones can have up to 50 individuals in the herd. They do not have pronounced leaders, all members of the group coordinate their actions with the help of sounds and act together. Neighboring herds rather avoid communication with each other, although they do not wage territorial wars. Killer whales are as highly intelligent animals as whales and dolphins. They have a complex system of sounds that can be used separately, or can form complex speech forms. Killer whales can designate individual objects, concepts, they can differentiate objects of the same group (for example, they not only signal the presence of prey, but also indicate its type). Herds of killer whales from remote areas of the ocean have their own dialect, along with common ones, they also have specific signals that are understandable to close relatives and neighbors, but incomprehensible to distant strangers.

A collision with a killer whale does not bode well - not only the small inhabitants of the seas and oceans know about this, but also such bloodthirsty predators as sharks. Killer whales are smarter, smarter, bigger and stronger. And they also have a well-developed herd instinct, and they are quite capable of standing up for each other.

Killer whales are carnivorous marine mammals from the genus killer whales, which belongs to the dolphin family from the order of cetaceans. They swim in the waters of the entire World Ocean, less often they can be seen in the tropics, more often in cold and temperate latitudes. They feel great both close to the coastline and in the open ocean, but more than eight hundred meters from the coast they try not to move away.

Although there are no exact data on their number, it is known that they live in the Antarctic most of all - about 80 thousand individuals (for comparison: in the Pacific Ocean there are about fourteen thousand, near Norway - one and a half).

There are three types of killer whales:

• Big - the largest of all killer whales. The length of males often reaches ten meters, while females are two meters less. Dolphins weigh about nine and seven tons, respectively. This type of killer whale is considered to be the most dangerous and bloodthirsty.
• Black - a killer whale of absolutely black color, can reach six meters in length, weighs one and a half tons, prefers to live in temperate latitudes;
• Ferez or pygmy - a dark gray dolphin about two meters long, feeds small fish and is extremely rare.

Description

The killer whale is one of the strongest predators in the ocean with a strong build, a large short flat head and a large mouth with powerful chewing muscles, providing a strong bite and with a weak beak.

In the mouth of a predator, there are 44 massive teeth about thirteen centimeters long, while the largest of them have a diameter of 30 to 50 mm. They sit very firmly in the jaw and are perfectly adapted to tear and eat large prey (interestingly, they are all in the back of the mouth).

Killer whales are primarily recognizable by their contrasting black and white color. The shape and color of the spots are often so individual that it gives people the opportunity to distinguish predators from each other: skin tone largely depends on the area where the killer whale swims and the algae growing there. For example, in arctic waters, spots become yellow-greenish, sometimes brown.

Another feature of the predator is its very high fin: in males it is straight and often reaches one and a half meters in height, in females it is half as much and is bent. The pectoral fins are also interesting: while in other dolphins they have a sickle-shaped pointed shape, in the killer whale they are oval and wide.

But the eyesight, like many inhabitants of the sea, the predator has a weak, but has excellent hearing, thanks to which it is able to detect prey even at very great depths. An organ located on the forehead is responsible for recognizing sounds, which is used by the killer whale as an echo sounder. After a sound wave breaks on any object, it emits an echo, which the killer whale detects, recognizes and identifies: the animal in front of it or the rock.

Way of life and nutrition

The largest dolphins in the world live in flocks, which include one adult male, females with babies, elderly and barren females. Black dolphins and killer whales are the only species whose females have menopause and live after it for several decades. Considering that killer whales can live up to ninety years, four generations stay together in one flock and are separated only for a few hours to find food.

Killer whales communicate with each other in a peculiar language, which consists of a special number and types of repetitive sounds and remains unchanged for a long period. Interestingly, each flock has its own language.

The killer whale is very voracious: she eats from 50 to 150 kg of food per day. Speaking about killer whales, it should be borne in mind that they are divided into sedentary and transit. The first species is more peaceful and eats mainly fish, the second is more bloodthirsty and hunts marine mammals, for which its representatives were nicknamed killer whales.

One of the main differences between migrating killer whales is that they communicate less with sound signals than sedentary ones, otherwise the prey will be able to hear them and leave. According to the analyzes of the genomes, these species have practically not interbred over the past 100 thousand years.

An interesting fact about resident killer whales is that it not only eats fish, but often prefers one variety - it only eats tuna, salmon or herring. Therefore, they do not attack large marine predators.

They hunt fish in a flock (from 5 to 15 individuals), moving in even lines, without disturbing the formation, at a speed of 5 km / h. When hunting, killer whales become surprisingly silent, and the attack is so well coordinated that each predator knows exactly its task. As a result, killer whales drive a school of fish to the shore or, surrounding from all sides, knock it into a ball, after which they take turns diving inside the school and jamming the prey with tail blows.

As for the transit killer whale, despite the fact that this dolphin mainly eats fish and squid, it often preys on sea lions, whales, seals, penguins and sharks. Much fewer individuals take part in the hunt - from one to five, respectively, and they have fewer flocks.

When hunting for seals or penguins, killer whales dive under the ice floe on which the prey is located and hit it from below to knock the animals into the water. But whales are hunted mainly by males, who at the same time pounce on more large mammal, and biting the throat and fins, do not give the opportunity to swim to the surface.

But when hunting for female sperm whales, the tactics are different: they do not give her the opportunity to go to the bottom.

Such consistency in actions is not surprising, since parents of babies are taught to hunt from an early age. One day, people managed to film a battle between killer whales and sharks, when a flock of four adults and two young dolphins attacked a large white shark. Two killer whales, using coordinated actions and sound signals, attacked the shark. She had no chance of escaping at all: the battle did not last long - with the help of several blows and bites with powerful jaws, the whales dealt with her rather quickly.

After carefully reviewing the records, scientists came to the conclusion that this attack of killer whales on one of the most large predators ocean was committed for the sole purpose of teaching the young to hunt for larger prey. Numerous studies have shown that each flock has its own individual hunting techniques, which the older generation teaches the younger.

Reproduction and offspring

The process of reproduction of dolphins is little studied. It is known about killer whales that puberty begins at the age of 12-14 years, the period between births lasts about three years, menopause - at forty. The average life expectancy of females is fifty years. There are cases when they lived to ninety (males live much less, up to thirty-five).

They avoid close relationships. Since all cetaceans in a flock are closest relatives to each other, mating occurs only when several flocks are combined into one (for example, for hunting). Males, in order to win the female, fiercely fight among themselves.

It is believed that pregnancy lasts about one and a half years, childbirth occurs mainly in the spring / early summer. The female gives birth to no more than six babies from 2.5 to 2.7 meters long. Little killer whales are very playful, constantly somersaulting around adults, and they periodically throw their heads into the air.

Relationships with people

Despite the fact that many consider the most large dolphins deadly animals for humans, this opinion about killer whales is not entirely true: the facts that the killer whale ate one of the people are not recorded anywhere. By attacking one person, she might have dealt with him. But, obviously, being highly developed creatures, predators understand the danger posed by humans (perhaps not even in terms of strength, but mental superiority), and therefore attack very rarely: over the past twenty years, only one fact is known when one of the orcas attacked a surfer . He survived but lost his leg.

Killer whale shows have become extremely popular, where dolphins act as stars: predators are intelligent, train well and, oddly enough, in captivity they are quite peaceful even in relation to animals that are hunted in nature. Although in nature this predator will eat a simple dolphin or seal without the slightest doubt, if he is in captivity in the same reservoir with them, he does not show aggression towards his neighbors.

Known facts of the death of trainers who prepared a show of killer whales and were victims of the irritable mood of dolphins. Killer whale attacks on people can be caused not only because of aggression during the breeding season, but also because of the boredom that befalls all dolphins caught in the sea and accustomed to the open spaces.

Captivity is extremely negatively displayed on dolphins: they have various diseases due to a passive lifestyle, obesity is observed, in males the dorsal fin is bent to one side. Killer whales often become aggressive towards members of their own species (which is almost never observed in nature), as a result of which, after a collision, one of the individuals may die. IN Lately environmentalists lead the most real war for banning performances (it should be noted that in some American states this has already been achieved).

Marine and ocean depths fraught with a lot of mysterious and mysterious, sometimes very dangerous for people. Many representatives of the fauna live there, some of them are very large in size. Killer whale belongs to the category of such animals. Many of us have heard about it the most horror stories, see movies and exciting stories about animals. What is a killer whale, what does it look like, how much does it weigh and what does it eat?

Killer whale - dolphin or whale?

This large animal is to marine mammals of the cetacean order, a family of dolphins, a suborder of toothed whales. She is the only representative of cetaceans, feeding not only on fish, but also on warm-blooded marine animals. Among aquatic predators, it is the largest in size.

The photo clearly shows that the body of the killer whale has a characteristic black and White color. This immediately distinguishes her from the rest of the representatives. sea ​​depths. The back and sides of the killer whale are black, on the belly and throat there is a longitudinal white stripe. Behind the dorsal fin is a gray saddle spot. A white spot is located above each eye. found in the North Pacific rare individuals black and albinos (white).

The killer whale is often referred to as the "killer whale". which leads to confusion. In fact, killer whale is predatory dolphin but only very large sizes. In aquariums, killer whales seem harmless and peaceful. In fact, it is formidable and merciless marine predator. He hunts not only fish, it happens that he attacks sharks and even huge whales.

Male killer whales can grow up to 10 meters in length, their weight is about 8 tons. The dorsal fin of a formidable animal can be up to one and a half meters high. Females are smaller, they are almost two times smaller. They differ from dolphins in their wide and rounded fins. As you can see in the photo, they have a heavy and massive head, inside of which there are rows of large teeth. The size of the teeth reach 10-13 cm to attack others large inhabitants seas. Orcas during the hunt can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h. Their life expectancy can be up to 35 years.

Habitat

Killer whales are found in all oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and go far into floating ice. They like to swim away from the shore, although they can be seen close to land when hunting for seals and penguins. Their habitat is the seas and oceans of the entire planet. They usually swim at great depths, but sometimes they can swim in river mouths. Preference is given to cold seas and oceans, so they are most often found in cold and temperate waters. They are extremely rare in the tropics.

They hunt in packs and live in groups. Matriarchy reigns in their environment, despite the fact that males are much larger than females. During the hunt, females with cubs are at a safe distance, but can take part if there are few males. In a group of killer whales, it is always peaceful and calm. Often groups can unite in order to successfully go hunting.

What do killer whales eat?

These predators have a wide range of food. For example, those living off the coast of Norway can eat herring, so they migrate in search of fish after her. There are populations that prefer to hunt pinnipeds. Scientists have identified two populations:

• "tramps";
• "homebodies"

The second species feeds mainly on fish:

• cod,
• herring;
• halibut;
• mackerel;
• tuna;
• salmon;
• cephalopods.

On rare occasions they attack marine mammals. When a group of killer whales discovers a school of fish, the whole group drives it into a tight ball close to the surface of the water. After that, the predators drown the fish with tail blows, diving in turn. Usually a group of hunters consists of 5-15 individuals.

Transit killer whales are the most dangerous, they are called "killer whales". They prey on such animals:

• whales,
• sea ​​lions;
• pinnipeds;
• dolphins;
• sea ​​otters.

Flocks of such killer whales are much smaller. In them can gather from 1 to 5 individuals. When they hunt sea lions, they wash up on the shore. This is the most spectacular method of hunting marine animals. While hunting seals, they set up ambushes. If the seal is on an ice floe, then cunning killer whales try to make the seal fall from it into the water. They use various maneuvers for this. During the hunt, "tramps" practically do not make sounds, since marine mammals have excellent hearing.

Killer whales have a good appetite, they are gluttonous. During the day they eat from 50 to 150 kg of food. The only enemy for the killer whale is the dolphin. The shark is not a rival for them, but rather prey.

reproduction

Puberty in males begins at 8 years old, and in females 2 years earlier. The mating season occurs from the beginning of winter. Scientists have collected little information about the mating of killer whales. It is known that in mating season males are very aggressive and fight fiercely for the right to mate. Cubs are born in spring or early summer, and the female can have only 1 cub. The playful baby weighs only 260 kg, its length is 2.1 -2.7 meters. The mother feeds her cub with her milk up to 1 year. She will be ready for the next mating only in 3-4 years.

Killer whales are considered very intelligent animals. They perfectly trainable. When they get into oceanariums or dolphinariums, then in these conditions they perform the most difficult tricks. There are numbers where the trainer puts his head in the killer whale's mouth, the predator carries the trainer on his back in front of the audience during the show. When they have to live in captivity, they behave differently. Aggressive and formidable animals become the favorites of the public, because they are peaceful and do not pose a danger.