By TerryKiller Whale
By Terry
Appearance: Killer whales are black or deep brown overall with striking white patches above their eyes and from the lower jaw to the belly and a fainter grayish- white saddle patch just under the dorsal fin. (The dorsal fin is the fin that sticks up from their back). The killer whale's flippers are large and oval. Males can measure up to 30 feet long. A male can wiegh up to 11,000 pounds. A killer whale's tail is made up of two parts called fuikeses. Killer whales have a row of white sharp teeth. Each tooth curves back a little.
Habitat: Some killer whales move all over the place that killer whales migrate. Killer whales live in all the oceans. The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic ocean. Killer whales can go as fast as 28 miles an hour! They can go 51 miles without stopping. They prefer colder waters more than warmer waters. The colder waters are on the coast line. That's where they can be found most.
FOOD: Killer whales eat many things. These are some of the things they eat: Polar Bears, penguins, krill, porpises, seabirds, squid, fish, cod, seaotters, hake, halibut, marine animals, marine birds, walruses, seals, sea lions, dolphins, and other whales. Whenever killer whales get hungry they send out some clicks and clacks and if they get an echo they know there is something ahead.
ENEMIES: Killer whales only enemies are people they are hunted for their oil and blubber.
Life Cycle: Killer whales babies look just like their parents. They are black and yellow. When they are born they can weigh 300 pounds and be 7 feet long.The female killer whale starts having babies at 17 years old. A male killer whale dorsal fin starts growing at 17 years old and stops at about 21 years old.
Other facts: The only reason killer whales are called killer is that they eat and hunt so much meat and they are also such powerfull hunters. They never kill for fun or sport. Killer whales use echolocation. Killer whales are in the dolphin family. They are the biggest in that family too. Killer whales can see very well above water as well as in the water. Sometimes they will pop their heads out of the water to see what is ahead of them - this is called spy hopping. The killer whales scientific name is orcanas orca. Scientists study killer whales sound by underwater microphones. Treensent pods sounds are softer then Resadent pods. Even though the killer whale has flippers it still has finger bones. Another name for the killer whale is wolves of the sea. This is a nick name for them because they travel in pods (families) like wolves and they are good hunters like wolves. When killer whales split up they keep in touch by screeching to each other but these screeches are different from the clicks and clacks they would sound like this scccrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!