Killer Whales

By Isabell Gehrt

Why I chose This

I chose Killer Whales because they are one of my favorite animals. I also wanted to learn more about them.

Habitat

Killer Whales live in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Oceania, and Artic Oceans. They can live in cold or warm water.

What Killer Whales EatThey eat fish, seals, sea lions, baleen whales,

other toothed whales, walruses, sea otters, polar bears, reptiles, moose, penguins, and seabirds.

Sea Otter Baleen Whales Sea Lion

Communication

A killer whale sends out sound waves that travel in the water about nine miles per second, and goes faster than sound traveling through the air. Killer whales rely on this so they can hunt in the dark, navigate, and communicate with other killer whales. They produce whistles, clicks, moans, grunts, squeaks, and creaking door sounds. These sounds are produced by air moving through their nasal sacs near the blowhole.

Length/ Height

The male killer whale can weigh up to 20,000 pounds. The female killer whale can weigh up to 16,500 pounds. The male killer whale can be as tall as 32 feet and the female killer whale can be as tall as

28 feet high.

Appearance

A killer whale is black and white with a gray patch right behind the dorsal fin. They are black on top and they are white on the bottom. They have white

patches near their eyes too.

Killer Whale Calves

When a calf is first born it is usually 8 ½ feet long and weighs anywhere between 265- 355 pounds. They can be a creamy white or yellow color when they are first born where they are usually white when they become adults.

Cool Facts

The killer whales genus and species name is Orcinus orca. When a killer whale wants to travel quickly they leap out of the water and this is called porpoising. Killer whales also have the second heaviest brain throughout all marine animals. There are 3-5 different

types of killer whales. A killer whale is the largest member of the dolphin family.

Pods

Killer whales are very social animals and they live in groups called pods. They can live in groups from 6-40 whales. They hunt together also.

Descriptive Paragraph

The picture I’m describing has 6 killer whales in it. The water in the picture looks blue and white. You can also see all of the dorsal fins.

The End