Killer Whale information report
Description
Killer whales are toothed whales. Whales have teeth that fit tightly together and are very strong. The killer whale is black and white in colour, it has a sleek, streamlined fusiform (tapered at both ends) body shape. The average size of a male is 9m and the average size of a female is 5m.
Habitat
Killer whales inhabit all oceans of the world but are most numerous in the Arctic, the Antarctic, and areas of cold waters.They can be found near the shores of Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja California and along the eastern coast of the United States. Killer whales also have been seen in warm water areas such as Hawaii, Australia, the Galapagos Islands, the Bahamas, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Movement
When the killer whale swims it moves its powerful tail up and down, and beats the water with its flukes. It flippers help the whale to steer and to keep its balance in the water. A whale’s streamlined body and smooth skin allow it to slip easily through the water.
Feeding Habits
The killer whale is the top predators in the ocean, they are the largest predator of warm blooded animals ever known. The killer whale eats fish, squid, seals, sea lions, walruses, birds, sea turtles, penguins, polar bears, reptiles and even a moose! All of these animals were found in the killer whales stomach.
Breeding Habits
The female killer whale turns sexually mature when they reach 4.6-4.9m, at about 6-10 years old. The ma le killer whale turns sexually mature when they reach about 5.1-6.1m, at about 10-13 years old. In the Pacific Northwest calving is mostly occurring in the spring and fall.In other areas of the world, researchers have seen calves born throughout the year with no statistical evidence for birth seasons.
Other Facts
No one knows for sure how long killer whales live. Killer whales are top predators in the sea. Healthy adults have no natural predators, but sharks prey on older, younger, or ill killer whales.
Bibliography
SeaWorld Education, (2002). Killer Whales. Retrieved November 20, 2006, Web site: http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/KillerWhale/home.html
An Observers' Guide to the Killer Whales of Prince William Sound
http://killerwhales.netfirms.com/main.htm
Whales Written by Joan Short and Bettina Bird.
Designed and illustrated by Deborah Savin
By Joshua Ng