Interesting facts about killer whales Is a great opportunity to learn more about large marine animals. Today this mammal is the only representative of the genus of killer whales. Animals are distributed almost throughout the World Ocean, inhabiting mainly far from the coastline.
So, here are the most interesting facts about killer whales.
- Most of the killer whales live in the Antarctic waters - about 25,000 individuals.
- The killer whale is a predator with a fairly varied diet. For example, one population predominantly feeds on herring, while another prefers to hunt pinnipeds such as walruses or seals (see interesting facts about seals).
- The average body length of an adult male reaches 10 m, with a weight of up to 8 tons.
- The killer whale has sharp teeth, which are about 13 cm high.
- The killer whale bears its offspring for 16-17 months.
- Females always give birth to only 1 cub.
- An interesting fact is that in English, killer whales are often called "killer whales."
- Under water, the heart of a killer whale beats 2 times less often than on the surface.
- Killer whales can travel at a speed of 50 km / h.
- On average, males live for about 50 years, while females can live twice as long.
- The killer whale has a high intelligence, which makes it easy to train.
- Did you know that healthy killer whales care for old or crippled relatives?
- Each individual group of killer whales has its own vocal dialect, which includes both general sounds and sounds inherent only in a particular group of killer whales.
- In some cases, several groups of killer whales can join together to hunt together.
- Large whales (see interesting facts about whales) are usually hunted only by males. They simultaneously pounce on the whale, digging into its throat and fins. It is worth noting that male killer whales are avoided, since their strength is great, and their jaws are capable of inflicting a mortal wound.
- One killer whale consumes about 50-150 kg of food per day.
- A killer whale calf reaches a length of 1.5-2.5 m.
