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Westarctica (talk | contribs) (Created page with "thumb|Orcas in Antarctic waters The '''Orca''' or '''Killer whale''' is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest...") |
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==Feeding== | ==Feeding== | ||
[[File:Killer Whale Tipe B.jpg|thumb|Killer whale and a Weddell seal]] | [[File:Killer Whale Tipe B.jpg|thumb|400px|Killer whale and a Weddell seal]] | ||
Killer whales are apex predators, meaning that they themselves have no natural predators. They are sometimes called the wolves of the sea, because they hunt in groups like wolf packs. Killer whales hunt varied prey including fish, cephalopods, mammals, sea birds and sea turtles. Different populations or ecotypes may specialize and some can have a dramatic impact on certain prey species. However, whales that inhabit tropical areas appear to have more generalized diets due to lower food productivity. | Killer whales are apex predators, meaning that they themselves have no natural predators. They are sometimes called the wolves of the sea, because they hunt in groups like wolf packs. Killer whales hunt varied prey including fish, cephalopods, mammals, sea birds and sea turtles. Different populations or ecotypes may specialize and some can have a dramatic impact on certain prey species. However, whales that inhabit tropical areas appear to have more generalized diets due to lower food productivity. | ||
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Hunting large whales usually takes several hours. Killer whales generally choose to attack young or weak animals; however, a group of five or more may attack a healthy adult. When hunting a young whale, a group chases it and its mother until they wear out. Eventually, they separate the pair and surround the calf, preventing it from surfacing to breathe, drowning it. Pods of female sperm whales sometimes protect themselves by forming a protective circle around their calves with their flukes facing outwards, using them to repel the attackers. Rarely, large killer whale pods can overwhelm even adult female sperm whales. Adult bull sperm whales, which are large, powerful and aggressive when threatened, and fully grown adult blue whales, which are possibly too large to overwhelm, are not believed to be prey for killer whales. | Hunting large whales usually takes several hours. Killer whales generally choose to attack young or weak animals; however, a group of five or more may attack a healthy adult. When hunting a young whale, a group chases it and its mother until they wear out. Eventually, they separate the pair and surround the calf, preventing it from surfacing to breathe, drowning it. Pods of female sperm whales sometimes protect themselves by forming a protective circle around their calves with their flukes facing outwards, using them to repel the attackers. Rarely, large killer whale pods can overwhelm even adult female sperm whales. Adult bull sperm whales, which are large, powerful and aggressive when threatened, and fully grown adult blue whales, which are possibly too large to overwhelm, are not believed to be prey for killer whales. | ||
==Symbol of Westarctica== | |||
The orca is the official whale of [[Westarctica]] and is used as supporters on the lesser coat of arms. Orcas were featured on the coin created for [[Sturge Island]] in 2012 | |||
[[Category:Animals of Westarctica]] | [[Category:Animals of Westarctica]] | ||
[[Category:Whales]] | [[Category:Whales]] | ||