Orca Research Paper
Stacy Rodenbough
ENGL 1010
October 1, 2012
Orca- Greek God of the Underworld There are very few animals that can compare to the top mammal of marine animals. The Orca or killer whale is the largest of the dolphin family; with the full name of Orcinus Orca; meaning Greek god of the underworld. They are whales with distinct black and white coloring and have teeth that can be up to 4 inches in length. Not only they one of the largest of the sea they are also the fastest of marine animals and can travel speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Orcas live in their own families or pods. There are three different types of Orcas species documented to date; resident, transient and offshore pods. The resident pods are separated geographically …show more content…
They do not rely on the mother figure to lead the group as the resident whales do. The transient pods diet is often geographically specific. They share their boundaries with both resident and the offshore whales.
The offshore orca pods are typically smaller in size and they are less sexual dimorphism; both the male and female share the same features and appear less visually different. The resident pod and the transient pods have distinct differences between the male and female whales; not only is the male a larger mammal the male also has a top dorsal fin that can reach up to 5 to 6 feet out of the water while the female fin is not as profound.
These different Orca species do share some common features as well; the orca is a highly sociable and curious mammal. They communicate with one another using clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. Orcas prefer cool waters and rely on echolocation for navigation and discriminating between prey and other surrounding objects. Each species may have their own dialect as people do from different parts of the
ENGL 1010
October 1, 2012
Orca- Greek God of the Underworld There are very few animals that can compare to the top mammal of marine animals. The Orca or killer whale is the largest of the dolphin family; with the full name of Orcinus Orca; meaning Greek god of the underworld. They are whales with distinct black and white coloring and have teeth that can be up to 4 inches in length. Not only they one of the largest of the sea they are also the fastest of marine animals and can travel speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Orcas live in their own families or pods. There are three different types of Orcas species documented to date; resident, transient and offshore pods. The resident pods are separated geographically …show more content…
They do not rely on the mother figure to lead the group as the resident whales do. The transient pods diet is often geographically specific. They share their boundaries with both resident and the offshore whales.
The offshore orca pods are typically smaller in size and they are less sexual dimorphism; both the male and female share the same features and appear less visually different. The resident pod and the transient pods have distinct differences between the male and female whales; not only is the male a larger mammal the male also has a top dorsal fin that can reach up to 5 to 6 feet out of the water while the female fin is not as profound.
These different Orca species do share some common features as well; the orca is a highly sociable and curious mammal. They communicate with one another using clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. Orcas prefer cool waters and rely on echolocation for navigation and discriminating between prey and other surrounding objects. Each species may have their own dialect as people do from different parts of the