Facts About Killer Whales

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Fact 1: The Killer whale, or Orcinus orca, is the biggest animal of the Dolphin family. They weigh about 4 to 8 tons and are 23 to 26 feet long.  Orcas will attack even the large whales and is called a whale killer.

Fact 2: Killer whales are sea mammals belonging to the suborder Odontoceti. The entire body of orcas is in black while the patch behind the eye, belly, and chin are white. There is a gray-colored saddle patch at the back of the dorsal fin.

Fact 3: The dorsal fin of the mature male Killer whale is nearly a triangle shape and is six feet in length seen above the waters. The females will have crescent-shaped dorsal fins.

Fact 4: Killer whales become sexually mature at 10 to 15 years of age. The dorsal fin in the males will start to grow and get straightened after the animal reaches sexual maturity.

Fact 5: The dorsal fin needs five to six years to completely grow into six feet in height.

Fact 6: Killer whales are intelligent and well-organized. They move in large groups and maintain a stable social structure.

Fact 7: Killer whales do not have any other predators, and they are considered as apex predators or alpha predators. Hence, they usually look for eating other animals without any fear of being attacked by any other animal.

Fact 8: Killer whales eat sea animals of any size. They feed on sea lions, seals, birds, fish, otters, squids, Sperm whales, Beluga whales, Blue whales, and Grey whales. They also feed on Great White sharks.

Fact 9: The Killer whales prefer to live mostly in cold waters, but they are even seen thriving in the oceans from the Antarctic region to the tropical regions of the oceans.

Fact 10: The male Killer whale will start reproducing after 21 years of age. The female killer whale will give rise to an offspring once every 3 to 5 years till they are 40 years of age. The gestation period of the offspring is 15 to 18 months.

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