This lab report summarizes information about the killer whale (Orcinus orca). It describes their physical characteristics such as their black and white coloration and sexual dimorphism. It also discusses their habitat in oceans worldwide, hunting of large prey as social predators, communication using whistles and clicks, sleeping floating at the surface, and maternal care including nursing of calves for a year.

1. Whale, Whale, Whale
What have we got here?
Bhavin Prema and Priya Patel
Vertebrate Zoology Summer 2017 Lab Report C

2.  Common Name: Orca (Killer Whale)
 Scientific Name: Orcinus orca
 Order: Cetacea
 Family: Delphinidae
https://seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-infobooks/killer-whale/physical-characteristics/

3. https://www.quora.com/Are-goats-somehow-related-to-whales

4.  Killer whales have smooth, black and white bodies.
 Endothermic
 Sexual dimorphism: Males are larger than females
 Killer whales practice polygamy
 Average lifespan
 Female – around 63 years (max 80-90)
 Male – around 36 years (max 50-60)
http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/cetaceans/killer_whale
.html

5. Habitat and Geographical Location
 Killer whales inhabit all oceans of the world
 Most widely distributed mammal
 Most abundant in coastal waters, occasionally found in
the open ocean
Pic Source: https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/killer-whale/habitat-and-distribution

6. Food Habits
 Exceptionally successful predators
 Eat a wide variety of large prey including: fish, sea lions,
smaller whales, sharks, dolphins, seals, etc.
 Eat on average 45kg of food a day
 They are social hunters – often hunt in packs
Pic Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/orca-feeding/morell-text

7. Communication
 3 categories of vocalizations used: whistles, discrete
calls, and clicks
 Used for communication and navigation
 Clicks are mostly used for echolocation
Orcas make click sounds and then sense the sound
after it bounces off something
Pic Source: All About Killer Whales by Bruce Larkin
Sound Source: http://www.orcaresearch.org/index.php/audio-2

8. Just Sleeping
 Sleep 5-8 hours a day
 Drift on the surface so that they can breathe
 Take in lungs full of oxygen and settle in the seabed
Pic Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0bxeDZ21r0
Pic Source: https://www.whaleresearch.com/orca-
questions

9. Behavior
Breaching – Jumping out of the water
Spy-hopping – Lifting their heads and looking around
Common; survey their surroundings
Pic Source: http://whaleman.org/aboutwhales/

10. Nursing
 Orca calves generally nurse for about a year
 They suckle from nipples located in the abdominal
mammary slits
https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/killer-
whale/birth-and-care-of-young

11. Parental Care
 During nursing, mothers teach their calves how to hunt
and introduce them into their social network of pods
 Since the Orcas are not monogamous, it can be
assumed that the fathers have no part in parental care
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTHZ8Vi7tsc

12. Citations
 https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-
infobooks/killer-whale/birth-and-care-of-young
 http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat53/sub341/item124
0.html
 http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Orcinus_orca/
 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/
o/orca/