Cetaceans 1  Cetaceans 2 Hunting 1 Hunting 2 Sight
Habitat
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True - Killer whales have many clever techniques for catching their prey. Besides tipping ice to make animals slip off, they often will surround their target and make coordinated attacks on other animals as large as blue whales! Sometimes killer whales will lunge onto the beach to kill unsuspecting walruses or seals. Once they have captured their target, they will wriggle back into the ocean. Sometimes they will "play" with a seal they have caught and throw it high into the air. Also, killer whales don't chew their food, but tear pieces of flesh from their prey and swallow them whole. Killer whales have no enemies except for human hunters. Residing at the top of the food chain are killer whales.
Killer whale calves start eating fish when they are about 3-4 months old. At one year of age, calves will eat 20 - 25 kg of herring, smelt and squid every day.
What an orca eats partially depends on whether it is a resident whale or a transient whale. Resident whales eat mainly fish while transient whales eat seals, penguins, and other whales. The transient orcas are known to tackle whales, seals, dolphins, porpoises, aquatic birds, and polar bears. Overall the favorite foods of a killer whale are mackerel, herring, squid and salmon.
Orca can go for long periods of time without food if the need arises and they rarely eat during mating season. They have the ability to live off of their blubber.
blubber - thick layer of
fat found in a killer whale helping him to stay warm and can nourish him if
food is scarce
coordinate - act smoothly as a team
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Credits
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submarine - Microsoft Office Online
Copyright 2006 Lochiel U-Connect Thinkquest team and licensors