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The primary diet of transient orcas includes harbor seals, Steller sea lions, harbor porpoises, Dall's porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and Minke whales. Among these, the harbor seal is the most common prey; one survey estimated that more than half of the diet of transients in the Salish Sea region consists of harbor seals. [ 16 ]
The research vessel Noctiluca of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in close proximity to an orca. The southern resident orcas, also known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), are the smallest of four communities of the exclusively fish-eating ecotype of orca in the northeast Pacific Ocean.
Over 2,000 individual resident-like orcas and 130 transient-like orcas have been identified off Russia. [29] At least 195 individual orcas have been cataloged in the eastern tropical Pacific, ranging from Baja California and the Gulf of California in the north to the northwest coast of South America in the south and west towards Hawaii. [ 31 ]
The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, it is found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.
Like the Southern residents, the Northern residents live in groups of matrilines. A typical Northern resident matriline group consists of an elder female, her offspring, and the offspring of her daughters. Both males and female orcas remain within their natal matriline for life. [4] Matrilines have a tendency to split apart over time. [3]
[36] Much of the budget for the move would have been for her ongoing care in Washington state, particularly for the orca's huge gourmet appetite. Fresh local salmon, the southern resident orca diet, would have been her preferred food. [40] In 2023, Lolita's daily care at the Miami Seaquarium cost over $200,000 per month, assured by Jim Irsay. [43]
A female killer whale named Kohana, the second orca conceived in this manner, was born at the same park eight months later. [48] Artificial insemination lets park owners maintain a healthier genetic mix in the small groups of orcas at each park while avoiding the stress of moving the animals between marinas.
Corky II, more commonly known as Corky, is a 59-year-old female orca at SeaWorld San Diego. She is the longest-held captive orca in the world, the largest female orca in captivity at 20 feet long and 8,500 pounds, and the oldest orca to ever be displayed to the public. [25] She is now the only survivor from the Northern Resident captures.