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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.
The false killer whale is an apex predator, inhabiting tropical and subtropical waters. [32] [33] Generally, the false killer whale targets a wide array of squid and fish of various sizes during daylight hours. [9] [34] They typically target large species of fish, such as mahi-mahi, wahoo and tuna.
The pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) is a poorly known and rarely seen oceanic dolphin. [3] It is the only species in the genus Feresa.It derives its common name from sharing some physical characteristics with the orca, also known as the killer whale.
A killer whale was spotted balancing a salmon on its head. It’s not clear what the behavior means, but orcas were observed doing the same thing in the 1980s.
Although gray whales, blue whales and humpback whales are expected in Southern California waters, orcas are a rare treat for whale watchers. In rare SoCal appearance, orcas show why they're called ...
“Killer whales are very physical,” he said, “and because they’re 25 feet long and weigh up to 8,000 pounds, when they are physical with an object, it can be a little bit more forceful.” ...
The genus Orcinus was published by Leopold Fitzinger in 1860, [4] its type species is the orca named by Linnaeus in 1758 as Delphinus orca.Taxonomic arrangements of delphinids published by workers before and after Fitzinger, such as John Edward Gray as Orca in 1846 and Orca (Gladiator) in 1870, are recognized as synonyms of Orcinus.
Orcas or killer whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and several distinct populations or types have been documented or suggested. Three to five types of orcas may be distinct enough to be considered different races , [ 1 ] subspecies , or possibly even species [ 2 ] (see species problem ).