They have no predators Killer whale with a penguin. During periods of sleep, the orca will swim very slowly, close to the surface. When the right side of the brain sleeps, the left eye will close and vice versa, in a technique referred to as unihemispheric sleep. To stay alert, orcas only sleep with half of their brains at a time while the other half continues breathing and stays on alert for environmental dangers. The orca, like other cetaceans, must remain conscious while resting, because they must actively decide when to breathe, and slipping into a deep sleep would result in suffocation or drowning. Killer whales do not possess the same breathing reflex as humans, which allows the body to continue breathing automatically when sleeping or unconscious. The effect allows killer whales to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. The white belly can camouflage into light streaming from the sky toward the sea, which also makes the orca difficult to pick out from beneath. Creatures looking down on the killer whale, from a perch like an ice floe, may not see it because the black back will blend in with dark ocean waters. The distinct black-and-white patterning of the orca - back body, white underside, white patches above and behind the eyes, and a saddle patch behind the dorsal fin - serves a unique purpose. Their coloring is camouflage Killer Whale. Males, however, will only give away about 15% of their catch, typically shared with their mothers. Pods of orcas can take down something as large as a blue whale by surrounding it, then chasing and biting at the mammal until it weakens enough to be ripped apart and eaten.Īs social creatures, orcas value sharing their hunt and females will share all the fish they catch with their offspring. If they're after penguins, sea lions, or other animals on the surface, the killer whales will slap their tails on the water, creating a large wave that sends their prey off ice floes and within reach. Orcas work cooperatively to herd fish into a compact area where they're easier to consume. Here are some interesting and little-known facts about the killer whale. They are very intelligent, social mammals and it's these behavioural traits that make them a huge part of marine entertainment. Orcas have been around for six million years and can be found in every ocean except the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, from cold, coastal waters in polar regions to warmer seas near the equator. In the wild, they tend to live for 50 to 90 years. They are quick swimmers for their size, reaching top speeds of 48 km/h. The mammals can get as large as 9,000 kilograms (males - females tend to top out around 5,500 kg) and range in length from 8.5 metres (females) to 9.8 m (males). Their carnivorous diets are diverse and range from fish and penguins to seals, sea lions and whales, as well as fish, squid, and seabirds - up to 227 kg per day. Killer whales - or orcas - are one of the most powerful predators in the world, stalking the ocean with their distinctive black-and-white color and using a variety of sounds and echolocation to hunt and communicate with other members of their pods.
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