Marine predator killer whale. Largest killer whale: length from nose to tip of tail. Communication and perception

Marine mammal killer whales

Killer whales, marine mammals, can be found in deep waters ranging from the Arctic all the way to Antarctica. Most often they swim away from the shore, but closer to land they can be seen where seals and fur seals gather.

Killer whales are the largest of the dolphin family, standing out among them with their bright black and white color. Among the three types of killer whales (great, small and pygmy), the most common is the great one. It is logical that the large killer whale differs from others in size. Males of this species can reach a length of nine to ten meters, and their weight approaches seven and a half to eight tons. Female killer whales grow up to seven meters and weigh up to four tons. The great killer whale is distinguished from its other species by its coloring. If the small relatives are black, and the dwarf ones have only one white spot, then the large killer whale is beautiful in the contrast of white and black.

Differences between males and females in killer whales

Sexual differences in the two species are not noticeable (only in size: the male is larger). But in the great killer whale, the sexual characteristics are more or less distinguishable: the male has a white area on the back of the fin on his back. Females do not have such “decoration”. You can distinguish a female from a male by the fin on its back, which reaches one and a half meters. In the female it is twice as long.

The head of killer whales is flat and short; not like dolphins, which have an elongated beak. Their similarity to whales is that a killer whale can release fountains of water when exhaling. Also, their internal structure practically replicates cetaceans. They are endowed with the ability of echolocation, as they have a brain with well-developed auditory zones. This is a form of their communication with each other.

This sea animal can move at a speed of fifty-five kilometers per hour; life expectancy reaches thirty-five years.

Sea wolves

The great killer whale is a true and one-of-a-kind cetacean predator, so it needs strong teeth to tear apart its large prey. They reach thirteen or even more centimeters: the upper jaw contains up to eleven pairs and the lower jaw contains up to twelve. These mammals are essentially “sea wolves” who do not disdain shellfish, squid, seals, or baby dolphins and whales. Even baleen whales are in the teeth of killer whales, since the entire herd attacks them, and tears the large animal into pieces. Killer whales' hunting for penguins is very inventive: having broken the ice floe on which the clumsy animals are located with its forehead, the killer whale grabs a penguin that has fallen into the water. When one killer whale's belly was ripped open, they pulled out what was left of thirteen dolphins and the same number of walruses. It is interesting to discover how serious an appetite the killer whale has.

It is surprising that, despite the dolphin breed, the largest killer whale in almost the entire expanse of water is considered the most aggressive predator. You can be moved by looking at the games or the calm state of this animal, but watching the hunt of a killer whale, a predator, is scary. It was at this time that we can conclude that the killer whale can rightfully be called the mistress of the ocean.

The uniqueness of killer whales

These sea animals are very friendly with each other. Among “their own” killer whales are full of kindness and mutual assistance. They will not leave each other in trouble. During afternoon games, they can throw around the remains of their prey, which indicates their high level of organization.

The uniqueness of the species of large killer whales is that, on the one hand, they have the character of predatory whales and their enormous size, which poses a threat to the ocean world, and on the other, the sociable and kind disposition of dolphins who know how to “be friends” with each other.

He identified a certain predator, which could be either a killer whale or a sperm whale. English name killer whale(“killer whale”) the killer whale received because of its reputation as a dangerous predator.

The Russian name presumably comes from the word “braid”, which is reminiscent of the high dorsal fin of males. The spelling “killer whale” is common, but it is not used in specialized zoological literature.

A description of the species can be found in the tenth edition Systema Naturae Carl Linnaeus called Delphinus orca Linnaeus, 1758. The scientific name of the genus changed several times before arriving at the current stable variant, Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758). The most common obsolete name is Orca Gray, 1846. It was rejected as a junior homonym of the name Orca Wagler, 1830, proposed for another genus of dolphins (now Hyperoodon Lacépède, 1804) and replaced by the oldest suitable synonym: Orcinus Fitzinger, 1860.

The dorsal fin of a male killer whale is long and straight.

Appearance

Killer whales are the largest carnivorous dolphins; They differ from other dolphins in their contrasting black and white coloration. Killer whales are characterized by sexual dimorphism: males reach a length of 9-10 with a weight of up to 8, females - 7 m with a weight of up to 4 tons. In addition, the dorsal fin of males is high (up to 1.5 m) and almost straight, while in females - approximately half as low and curved. Unlike most dolphins, the killer whale's pectoral flippers are not pointed and sickle-shaped, but wide and oval. The head is short, flattened on top, without a beak; the teeth are massive, up to 13 cm long, adapted for tearing large prey.

Killer whale skull.

The color of the killer whale's back and sides is black, its throat is white, and its belly has a white longitudinal stripe. Some forms of Antarctic killer whales have darker backs than their sides. On the back, behind the dorsal fin, there is a gray saddle-shaped spot. There is a white spot above each eye. In the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, white spots may acquire a yellowish-greenish or brown tint due to a film of diatoms covering them. The shape of killer whales' spots is so individual that it allows individual individuals to be identified. In addition, in the North Pacific Ocean there are completely black (melanistic) and white (albino) individuals.

Spreading

Killer whale off the coast of Norway.

The killer whale is distributed throughout almost the entire oceans, found both near the coast and in open waters, but mainly adheres to the 800 km coastal strip. It does not enter only the Black, East Siberian and Laptev Seas. It is less common in the tropics than in cold and temperate waters. In Russia it is common near the Kuril ridge and the Commander Islands.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Killer whales do not attack humans, but they also do not show fear of them. All reliable cases of killer whale attacks on humans in the wild were committed by defending, wounded, or otherwise provoked individuals. Among large predators, the killer whale is the most friendly animal towards humans. In captivity, they are peaceful, quickly get used to humans and are easy to train, and reproduce under favorable conditions. Typically, killer whales do not show aggression towards dolphins and seals kept in the same pool with them, as well as towards humans. They become irritable and aggressive only during the breeding season.

The killer whale is one of the largest and most beautiful sea animals. The largest killer whale is up to 10 meters long and weighs up to 8 tons. These mammals are an intermediate form between the whale and the dolphin. Killer whales are fierce predators, but in natural conditions they do not attack humans. These sea giants are distinguished by great strength, intelligence and intelligence, which allows them to successfully live and reproduce in the difficult conditions of the modern world.

There are only three types of killer whales on our planet:

• big killer whale;
• small or black killer whale;
• pygmy killer whale (pheresa).

All these types of animals are very large and heavy.

This is the largest species of killer whale. The largest specimens grow up to 10 m in length and weigh up to 8 tons. They look like whales and dolphins at the same time. The body of a killer whale is more like a dolphin. It is dense, compact, with small pectoral fins. This animal has a large sharp fin on its back. The skin of the back is painted black, and the belly and lower jaw are white. There are two white spots on the back of the sides and near the eyes. Moreover, for each animal they are individual, by them you can recognize this or that individual.

Unlike the dolphin, the killer whale has a more rounded and blunt muzzle. When she exhales air, she releases a fountain like a whale. Just like whales, killer whales have excellent hearing, they communicate with sounds over very long distances and use echolocation. These animals have large, sharp teeth (cone-shaped) and can tear off large pieces of meat with them. The size of the teeth is up to 12 cm.

The killer whale's skin is smooth and shiny, its entire body resembles a torpedo, ready for battle. It’s not for nothing that she makes such an impression; this sea predator is a magnificent hunter. In their behavior, killer whales resemble wolves; they gather in packs and surround their prey. Their food is fish, seals, and dolphins. Killer whales also hunt walruses, penguins and other sea inhabitants.

Killer whales live up to 40-50 years, but there are individuals that live up to 90 years. The leader of the pack is the strongest and most experienced female, and families are headed by her sisters or daughters. Matriarchy has been observed in killer whales. These animals are viviparous mammals. Each female gives birth to up to 7 cubs during her life. You can distinguish a male from a female by its large dorsal fin and larger size.

The large killer whale is found in all deep seas and oceans of the Earth, although it prefers cold waters. Many large killer whales can be seen off the coasts of Chile, Patagonia and Alaska. They are attracted here by schools of fish, which are found in large numbers in cold currents.

Large killer whales are divided into resident and transitory ones. Resident killer whales hunt fish and do not leave their usual places, while transit killer whales roam all seas in search of large animals. Even whales are victims of packs of these hunters. The British call the killer whale a killer whale. All the inhabitants of the seas are afraid of her.

But at the same time, these animals have the friendly disposition of a dolphin. They are friends with each other and take care of old and sick members of the pack. Killer whales are friendly towards people and are easy to train.

2. Lesser or black killer whale

Small or black killer whales have a body length of up to 6 meters and a weight of up to 2 tons. The skin of this killer whale is completely black, only on the neck and throat it has a gray tint. Its dorsal fin is shaped like a sickle. Outwardly, this animal looks like a large killer whale, but much smaller. The black killer whale has 20 large conical teeth on each jaw. So when she opens her mouth, she appears to be smiling. This animal was even nicknamed in scientific circles the “smiley” or false killer whale. These killer whales live up to 60 years.

The small killer whale feeds on fish and is less predatory than the large one. These giants live in temperate and tropical waters, in the Atlantic, in the Red and Mediterranean seas, in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Small killer whales gather in large pods; they do not migrate long distances, but live in their own zone of the ocean. In Russian waters, the black killer whale appears near the Kuril Islands, in the Sea of ​​Japan and the Baltic Sea.

There have been cases when black killer whales washed ashore in large groups. The reasons for this phenomenon have not yet been solved. Environmentalists and local people are helping the animals return to the water.

Pygmy killer whales have a body length of up to 2.5 m and a weight of up to 200 kg. Their structure is similar to a whale and a dolphin. This is a rare species of the dolphin family. The skin color is black, there is a white spot on the belly. It happens that the belly and sides are slightly whiter than the back. The head of this killer whale is relatively small, rounded, with a small mouth. The dorsal fin is triangular, its height reaches 30 cm.

Feresa is the rarest and most heat-loving of all killer whales. Its habitat extends to the subtropical zones of the oceans. These animals can be found off the coast of Australia, Africa, Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico. Dwarf killer whales feed on fish, which they deftly catch with the entire pod. They are marine viviparous mammals. This species has not yet been studied enough.

• All orcas give birth to their young with their tails first. The mother helps the baby float to the surface of the sea to breathe air. During the birth of a calf, all members of the herd surround the female to protect her from enemies, and then greet the newborn.
• Female killer whales live twice as long as males. Males live up to 30 years, and females live up to 60.
• Each group of killer whales communicates using a specific range of sounds. These sounds are different for different groups, they can be compared to different languages ​​among people.

• Killer whales have a good appetite; they can eat up to 160 kg of food per day.
• Long (12 cm) teeth help killer whales easily cope with sharks, walruses and even small whales.
• This marine animal has the second largest brain among mammals and is intelligent and quick-witted.
• Killer whales swim at speeds of up to 50 km per hour.

• Killer whales live in large groups, led by the strongest and wisest females.
• Strong individuals hunt in a group of killer whales. Mothers with cubs remain on the sidelines, but also receive their share of the spoils.
• It has been noticed that each large group of these animals has its own methods of hunting, which they pass on to new generations.

Of all the species, the largest is the great killer whale. The largest individuals of this species grow up to 10 meters in length and have a body weight of up to 8 tons. Killer whales have a reputation as bloodthirsty marine predators. But in fact, they hunt only to satisfy their need for food, and do not kill in vain. In aquariums, these animals live peacefully together with walruses and seals, because they are well fed. These sea giants are easy to train and friendly towards people. There are no recorded attacks of killer whales on people in the wild.

About the killer whale.

Many people watched the film “Free Willy” as a child, where the main characters were the killer whale and the boy Jesse. The plot of the film shows a lot of situations from which the animal emerges with extraordinary ease, which testifies to the intelligence of this marvelous mammal.

One also cannot argue with the fact that the killer whale is one of the most beautiful animals now living on Earth.

The killer whale is a mammal from the dolphin family, represented in only one species. According to paleontologists, a second species previously existed on Earth; its remains were discovered many years ago.

Outwardly, killer whales are similar to their relatives - dolphins, but still differ from them in many ways. The most distinctive feature of killer whales is their contrasting color - a black body with white spots. The spots are usually located on the stomach and above the eyes. Moreover, the pattern and shape of the spots can be individual to such an extent that an individual can be identified from them, like fingerprints. The size of killer whales is also impressive - adult males can reach 10 m in length.

The back of these dolphins is decorated with a fin. In males it is straight and sharp, looking upward, while in females it is slightly curved to the side. Despite the fact that black and white coloring is considered traditional for these whales, in some areas pure black melanistic killer whales or completely white albino whales are found.

Killer whales live almost all over the globe; they survive equally well in both warm and cold currents. True, they are completely absent in the Black, East Siberian and Azov Seas, as well as in the Laptev Sea. It is known that they prefer cold waters, since killer whales are extremely rare in the tropics.

These animals are quite voracious predators. The basis of their diet consists of gregarious fish species, but sometimes a gaping seal, fur seal or sea lion can fall into the mouth of killer whales. As for people, there have been no recorded cases of killer whale attacks on members of the human race (at least in the wild).

Biologists distinguish two main types of killer whales – resident and transit. Representatives of the first variety are homebodies. Their diet is fish and small sea animals. They usually lead a sedentary lifestyle, migrating only to the spawning grounds of salmon fish.

Transiting killer whales are dangerous predators. It is “thanks to” them that killer whales are called killer whales. After all, sperm whales and even land animals very often become their victims (there are known cases of attacks on herds of moose crossing a body of water).

The social structure of killer whales is also quite an interesting phenomenon. The entire flock is led by one family group. At the head of the group is the largest and strongest female with cubs and young individuals. The rest of the pack is also divided into families under the leadership of daughters or other relatives of the dominant female.

Usually all families live separately, but can unite in large groups for hunting or breeding. Within one family, there are peculiarities in sound communication that are understood only by members of this group. In addition to group sounds, killer whales also use generally accepted ones. It is also interesting that young individuals take very careful care of old, wounded or sick relatives.

Pregnancy in killer whales lasts an average of one and a half years (although this has not been fully studied). Over the course of her entire life, a female can give birth to 5 to 8 cubs, and after forty years she loses childbearing ability. The age of killer whales ranges from 35 to 40 years for males, and from 50 to 60 years for females. True, there were also much older individuals.

The topic and a friend's hint in the comments brought up this question for me. For some reason I was sure that this is the animal in the photo ORCA. I was convinced of this by numerous websites that were quite trustworthy. However, everything turned out to be not so simple. What you see in the photo is ORCA anyway.

The killer whale (lat. Orcinus orca) is an aquatic mammal of the dolphin family, the only modern representative of the genus of killer whales.

Latin orca presumably comes from Greek. ὄρυξ - with this word Pliny the Elder designated a certain predator that could be either a killer whale or a sperm whale. The killer whale received the English name “killer whale” because of its reputation as a dangerous predator.

The Russian name presumably comes from the word “braid”, which is reminiscent of the high dorsal fin of males. The spelling “killer whale” is common, but it is not used in specialized zoological literature.

But what or who is this ORCA I'll tell you now...

And here she is, the killer whale - the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), a bird of the passerine order. The upper side of the body and the stripe on the chest are black with a blue tint, the forehead and throat are reddish-chestnut, the belly is white or rusty. Body length 18-23 cm. The outer tail feathers are in the form of narrow thin braids (hence the name).

The Killer Whale is widespread in Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America; in the USSR - everywhere south of the forest-tundra. Migrant. It nests on buildings near human habitation. A cup-shaped nest made of lumps of mud mixed with saliva is attached under a canopy. It hatches chicks twice during the summer. Useful for exterminating flies and other flying insects.

Their flight is not similar to the wavy, linear movement of other passerines. It is extremely fast, replete with frequent, instantaneous throws in various directions and unexpected sharp or smooth turns. In all these respects, the killer whale is superior to other species of swallows found among us. The voice of a killer whale is most often heard when building nests and hatching chicks. At this time, the males constantly emit their simple song, which is a short chirping with a crumbly trill at the end. At any time of the year, barn swallows produce a loud, sharp two-syllable cry that serves as an alarm signal.

All of Europe from the Mediterranean in the south to 71° N. w. in Scandinavia and Finland in the north. In the USSR to the middle reaches of the Pechora, 61° N. w. in the Urals, 65° on the Obiya, 64° on the Yenisei. On the Lena, the barn swallow apparently does not go below Yakutsk, but on Kolyma it reaches 68° N. w. Further, the border approaches the northern coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (Okhotsk, Gizhigiisk) and captures Kamchatka.

In America, the northern border begins at the northwestern tip of Alaska and runs through Northern Mekenzie (Great Bear Lake) and Southern Manitoba to Central Quebec. In the south of this continent, the border crosses North Carolina and Alabama, Tennessee, Northern Arkansas, Southern Texas and California. Also captures Nyariti Jalisco in Northern Mexico. In Asia, the southern border goes from. Kyushu through southeastern China to Yunnan, Northern Burma, Kahar, Manipur, Northern India, the Persian Gulf, Lebanon, Egypt and Nubia to Cyrenaica, Algeria and Tunisia.

The killer whale's wintering area covers Central and South America from southern Mexico to Northern Argentina and Central Chile. In the eastern hemisphere, the killer whale winters in Africa from Sudan and Nubia to the Cape of Good Hope, in India, Southern China, the Sunda and Philippine Islands and New Guinea.

Numerous flights are known to the north and west as far as Greenland, Janmai-en, Iceland (where it may even sometimes nest; Molinux, 1930), the Faroe Islands and
Bear Islands, Spitsbergen Islands. Franz Joseph, Novaya Zemlya, Timan tundra, Fr. Kharlov, Yenisei Gulf and the islands of the Atlantic Ocean (Azores, Canaries, Madeira).

The Chinese killer whale winters in Eastern India, Burma, Southern China, Indochina, the Sunda Islands, the Philippines, New Guinea, and occasionally in Australia (Becker, 1926).

Breeding individuals in North America winter in an area extending from Mexico to Brazil, Northern Argentina and Central Chile.

Within the former Soviet Union, the killer whale is only a breeding bird and flies away from us for the winter. It can be classified as a vagrant, non-breeding species only in very small areas lying beyond the northern edge of the breeding range. At the southern administrative borders of the Union - in Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asia, it can be considered largely a migratory species, since the total number of nesting birds here is clearly inferior to the mass of migratory birds.

In natural conditions, the barn swallow is associated with caves and therefore sticks to mountains (but not particularly high altitudes) and river valleys bordered by rocky shores. Currently, the swallow has almost completely switched to nesting in human buildings.

The killer whale has become so closely associated with humans that human settlements have become its main nesting habitat. At the same time, the killer whale does not settle in large cities particularly willingly. Small settlements, sometimes even individual farms, are much more willing to be populated by it. Here she mainly chooses not particularly large, wide-open buildings such as stables, sheds, mills, terraces, etc.

Under natural conditions, the killer whale is occasionally found in the mountains, but does not rise too high and nests in fairly light and shallow caves. Following a person, it rises into the mountains to heights of 1200-1300 m near Kislovodsk, along Aragva, near Tbilisi (Lorenz, 1887; Radde, 1884; Tsvetkov, 1901). In the Greater Caucasus it was found at altitudes up to 2400-3000 m (Radde, 1884). Similar figures—2500 m—are given for Armenia (Leister and Sosnin, 1940).

In Central Asia, in the Gissar ridge, the barn swallow goes to a height of 1800-2000 m (Ivanov, 1940). In the Eastern Tien Shan it rises to 1200 m near Alma-Ata, 1700 m at Issyk-Kul and 2140 m at Naryn (Shnitnikov, 1949). For Altai, the maximum height is 1100 m (Sushkin, 1938). In all cases, the presence of water in the immediate vicinity is an indispensable condition. Foraging biotopes are varied: meadows, pastures, river valleys, and the vicinity of settlements. It is only important that these are open spaces covered with grass or small shrubs. The swallow avoids forests.

In the Far East, it lives mainly in river valleys, living there in Russian settlements. Currently, it settles in Korean and Chinese fanzes, but more readily chooses Russian settlements, apparently preferring their architectural features.

In Siberia, the swallow sticks to Russian towns and cities with wooden houses. In Mongolia it is confined to villages and monasteries. In addition, it sometimes nests here and in natural conditions on cliffs along river banks.

The barn swallow is one of the very common birds in all parts of its range, with the exception of deserts and highlands. It does not form large colonies, but at least several pairs of killer whales usually live in almost every small village. After the young fledgling, the flocks reach several hundred. Especially numerous flocks can be seen near the southern borders of Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asia, where thousands of killer whales fly every day during the autumn migration.

There are known cases of mass death of killer whales within our borders. They are marked for both spring and autumn. Death occurs from a sharp cold snap, in some cases with rain or snow, in others - without it. The temperature does not always drop below zero. There are known cases of mass death of killer whales at temperatures of +5° and +6° (Karamzin, 1901). The main cause of death is starvation due to the lack of flying insects. The swallows stop flying and sit, ruffled, on the tops of bushes and tall grasses. In the fall, they often huddle into buildings, gather in dense masses and fall into a state of torpor.

And here is Utesov’s song :-)

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