It doesn't look very scary, but make no mistake: this whale is deadly. With strong jaws and teeth that are perfectly designed for tearing into prey, the killer whale, or orca, is the most powerful and efficient predator in the sea. It is also one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth. The orca is the only whale that hunts other whales-and the only one capable of taking on a great white shark.
Fin-tastic: Killer whales' triangular dorsal fins make them easy to spot. Females (like this one) have a slightly curved fin. The dorsal fins on males are straight and can reach almost six feet high-about the height of an adult human.
Cone Teeth: A killer whale has about two dozen cone-shaped teeth in each jaw. The teeth are curved backward and inward, which helps the orca grab onto prey and rip it into chunks.
We Are Family[]
Killer whales will slide right up onto the beach to catch and kill a seal.
Killer whales live in family units called pods, which can range from five members to 40. They use echolocation to navigate, hunt and communicate. This series of clicks, whistles and squawks not only tell the group where to go and helps them locate prey, it also forms their "language." Like humans from different areas, orcas in different pods have their own dialect-they use a combination of sounds that is slightly different from the language of any other pod.
Ahoy Matey!: An orca lives within its mother's pod for life. Males mate with females from other pods, but do not raise their own offspring. Instead, they stay with their family pod and care for the offspring of their sisters, aunts and mother.
Picky Eater: Orcas work together to hunt large prey, like a blue whale calf. They surround the young whale and lunge at it, tearing off chunks of flesh. They keep the calf from surfacing for air to drown it. Then they eat only its tongue, lips and skin.
Ice Floe for Three[]
- Three killer whales swim up to the surface for a look at their next victim: a Weddell seal resting on a nearby ice floe.
- Two of the whales work together to tip one side of the floe, causing the seal to slide toward the opposite edge where the third orca awaits.
- The seal falls from the floe into the mouth of the waiting orca. The two other whales join in and help quickly tear the seal to shreds.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The scenario which happens on the back of the knowledge card- orcas tipping over icebergs to eat seals- is also mentioned in the Did You Know? section of the crabeater seal's card.
- The images used in "Ice Floe for Three" are also used on the Wildlife Explorer card for the orca; here, they're called "Hunting with the Pack", and there's a fourth panel of the orcas tearing up the seal, with blood in the water.
- The killer whale is mentioned on several other cards:
- Their name is used in the introduction paragraph for the Basilosaurus as a pun/nod.
- It's mentioned as a predator of the Swordfish on it's knowledge card.
- The Killer Whale is listed as the only natural enemy of the Great White Shark on its normal trading card.
- As noted on the knowledge card, the orca in the main illustration used on both cards is female.
- The main heading on the back, "We Are Family", is possibly a reference to the 1979 Sister Sledge song of the same name.
- It shares this heading with Butterfly Bugs and Mountain Gorilla.
- The killer whale is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured as part of the creature in Build-A-Beast on Monster Mania 43.
- It is then featured in Odd Creature Out on Monster Mania 44.