Being the largest member of the dolphin family, Orca/killer whales can grow 16-30 feet depending on the region and weigh a whopping 6 tons (12,000 pounds)!

The Orca is classified as a “toothed whale”

Their large size and strength allow them to swim a little over 30 mph.

They have a distinctive coloration including a mainly black body with white on its chest, sides, and around the eyes. Males and females are the same color; however, females are smaller in size and weight, and have shorter dorsal and pectoral fins. A male killer whale’s dorsal fin can measure up to 6 feet long!

The black and white coloration allows the killer whale to camouflage in the water as they look disguised from above and below.

They are known as a cosmopolitan species, which means they can be found in all or most of the world. Specifically of the killer whale, they live in each of the world’s oceans and seas besides the Baltic and Black seas. Their habitats include everything from Arctic regions to tropical depths, and everything in between!

Their diets are eclectic depending on the region, but all are carnivores that can eat 500 pounds of food on average daily! Some whales may eat solely fish, while others seek out larger prey like seals, turtles, and penguins. Killer whales use a variety of hunting techniques such as hunting larger prey in groups or even causing waves to push prey off floating ice. Their teeth are shaped for ripping and tearing food instead of chewing.

Female killer whales are polyestrous, which means they can reproduce several times throughout the year. After 40, the females will join the few animals that undergo menopause and stop breeding. The males will mate with females from other pods to avoid inbreeding.

During their life, the females will give birth every 3-10 years to a single yellowish-orange calf. Once pregnant, she carries the calf for about 17 months before giving birth to an 8-foot, 400-pound baby!

The killer whale calves are weaned after a year or two after which they will join the rest of the pod in hunting. Once the young have acclimated to the pod, it is common for all male and female pod members to look after them.

Killer whales place a lot of importance on vocalizations (clicks, pulsed calls, and whistles) as the underwater sound helps them with feeding, communication, and orientation.

They are also extremely intelligent, which isn’t surprising since killer whales have the world’s second heaviest brain after sperm whales. They have been observed deliberately teaching their young skills, playing with fishermen and stealing their catches, and tossing chunks of ice around mimicking humans throwing snowballs.

Killer whales rest one side of the brain at a time so the awake part can still regulate breathing and swimming so they don’t drown trying to sleep.

Killer whales are apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain and are prey to nothing in the wild.

There are two types of pods killer whales can fall into: the resident pod and the transient pod. Resident pods are more docile, live closer to the shore, and eat all-fish diets. Transient pods are more aggressive and hunt marine mammals in packs similar to wolves.