ORCA WHALES
Did you know that people have developed sonar because of studying how orcas detect things using a series of clicking that they send out through their melon, or that orca’s skin grows 290 times faster than skin on your arm (Throp)? You can learn about many more things by studying orca whales. These are only a few things about orcas that have been studied; the appearance of orcas, how they hunt, and their relationship with dolphins.
Orcas detect things using clicking noises that they send out through their melon, and those sound waves bounce off objects and come back to the sender (Claybourne). There is the fact that orcas are one of the fastest whales in the sea, speeding up to 45 mph for only seconds, but cruising at around 29 …show more content…
A dolphin eat mostly fish like herring and cod, and sometimes even squid (“Dolphins-world/what-do-dolphins-eat”). On the other hand, the orcas, or killer whales, eat fish, squid, seals, sea lions, sharks, whales, dolphins, and sometimes turtles (Orcas: Facts About Killer Whales - Live Science). There are differences in what dolphins and orcas eat, but they do eat some of the same food.
It may seem weird that orcas eat sharks, whales, and dolphins, but it is true. Orcas have been seen attacking and killing young humpback whales and sometimes attacking older whales (“What Preys on Humpback Whales?”). Orcas also have been seen killing a dolphin, even though orca are related to them (“Orca Kills Dolphin”). Then of course there is orcas killing great white sharks, just to eat their liver (“ Orcas are Killing Great White Sharks and Eating Their Livers”).
Orcas hunt in many different ways, some they have learned by trying new things out, and other ways are what they have used for many years. The main way that orcas hunt, and live in, is in groups called pods. Pods are made from orcas related to each other, and can be as large as 260 members or as small as a few. When a pod of orcas attack large animals like whales, they are very coordinated and organized in their attack (Harrison and Bryden 34-151). Their are other ways that orcas …show more content…
Orcas have figured out that when a ray is flipped upside down, the ray goes into a state of shock, or paralysis, called tonic immobilization. Then the orcas can kill it without any fear of the ray fighting back. Another method that orcas use when hunting rays is that one orca might daintily lure the ray out of its hiding place, then another orca swoops in and delivers a fatal bite to the ray’s head. The third way is one orca will pin the ray down to the ocean floor upside down, and another plucks the stinger out of the ray with its teeth, then kills the ray (“three-amazing-orca-hunting-strategies”). All of these hunting methods are always with more than one orca attacking, which relates to one of the reasons why orcas hunt and live in pods.
Another thing about orcas is that they are related to dolphins. According to “National geographic,” “Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators.” Even though they are related orcas have been seen attacking dolphins (“Orca Kills Dolphin”). Both dolphins and Orcas are in the family Cetacean, which has all 76 known species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises (“WWF Global”). There is much more that can be learned about, all of this is only a small part of what you can
Did you know that people have developed sonar because of studying how orcas detect things using a series of clicking that they send out through their melon, or that orca’s skin grows 290 times faster than skin on your arm (Throp)? You can learn about many more things by studying orca whales. These are only a few things about orcas that have been studied; the appearance of orcas, how they hunt, and their relationship with dolphins.
Orcas detect things using clicking noises that they send out through their melon, and those sound waves bounce off objects and come back to the sender (Claybourne). There is the fact that orcas are one of the fastest whales in the sea, speeding up to 45 mph for only seconds, but cruising at around 29 …show more content…
A dolphin eat mostly fish like herring and cod, and sometimes even squid (“Dolphins-world/what-do-dolphins-eat”). On the other hand, the orcas, or killer whales, eat fish, squid, seals, sea lions, sharks, whales, dolphins, and sometimes turtles (Orcas: Facts About Killer Whales - Live Science). There are differences in what dolphins and orcas eat, but they do eat some of the same food.
It may seem weird that orcas eat sharks, whales, and dolphins, but it is true. Orcas have been seen attacking and killing young humpback whales and sometimes attacking older whales (“What Preys on Humpback Whales?”). Orcas also have been seen killing a dolphin, even though orca are related to them (“Orca Kills Dolphin”). Then of course there is orcas killing great white sharks, just to eat their liver (“ Orcas are Killing Great White Sharks and Eating Their Livers”).
Orcas hunt in many different ways, some they have learned by trying new things out, and other ways are what they have used for many years. The main way that orcas hunt, and live in, is in groups called pods. Pods are made from orcas related to each other, and can be as large as 260 members or as small as a few. When a pod of orcas attack large animals like whales, they are very coordinated and organized in their attack (Harrison and Bryden 34-151). Their are other ways that orcas …show more content…
Orcas have figured out that when a ray is flipped upside down, the ray goes into a state of shock, or paralysis, called tonic immobilization. Then the orcas can kill it without any fear of the ray fighting back. Another method that orcas use when hunting rays is that one orca might daintily lure the ray out of its hiding place, then another orca swoops in and delivers a fatal bite to the ray’s head. The third way is one orca will pin the ray down to the ocean floor upside down, and another plucks the stinger out of the ray with its teeth, then kills the ray (“three-amazing-orca-hunting-strategies”). All of these hunting methods are always with more than one orca attacking, which relates to one of the reasons why orcas hunt and live in pods.
Another thing about orcas is that they are related to dolphins. According to “National geographic,” “Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators.” Even though they are related orcas have been seen attacking dolphins (“Orca Kills Dolphin”). Both dolphins and Orcas are in the family Cetacean, which has all 76 known species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises (“WWF Global”). There is much more that can be learned about, all of this is only a small part of what you can