killer whale

(also ‘orca’, ‘sword whale’, ‘chopper of blubber’, ‘assassin whale’, ‘blackfish’, ‘sea wolf’; for the right pronunciation of ‘killer whale’, please click here & for the right pronunciation of ‘orca’, please click here)

a kind of animal – mammal – related to toothed whale – belongs to the sea dolphin family – large  stream-lined, cigar-shaped body with black and white colours – black back, and white chest and sides, a white patch above and behind eyes; a large mouth with long sharp teeth (4 inch long teeth), and one or two holes on the head for breathing; a large fin on the back and a grey patch behind it, a pair of fins on the underside, and a fluke in place of a tail fin; size: male – 20-30 feet long and weighs 6 tonnes; female – 15-25 feet long and weighs 3-4 tonnes; feeds on (eats) some kinds only on fish, some on sea animals, such as seals, sea lions, birds and whales, yet some other on fish, sea animals, and birds; lives for – male 30 (60/70?) years, and female 50 (100/110?) years on average; several species found in every sea and ocean of the world

Special Features:

a killer whale’s antics at a water world

The ‘killer whale or orca’ is the state animal of Washington, USA.

The killer whale is the largest of the dolphin family.

Killer whales are special attraction at the water world theme parks.

The killer whales are feared for their aggressive hunting methods.

They hunt in pods;

a pod of killer whales hunting together

all members of a pod surround a school of fish, and then grab whatever fish they can get with their sharp teeth, like a ‘pack of wolves’ on land, and so, they are called the ‘wolves of the sea’!

Along with the females, male killer whales take care of babies!