Orcas eat mostly fish, squid, sea lions, marine birds, and other whales and dolphins . They are known for hunting the blue whale, the largest animal in the world! Orcas would never attack a human unless they are annoyed or angry.
Orcas are found in most oceans of the world, mostly in the colder waters. They live in pods that usually contain about 10-30 orcas, but can hold up to 50! Some orcas, called ressident orcas stay closer to the shore, while transient orcas live far out in deeper waters and wander over very large areas.
Baby orcas are born almost like a human would. They come out head first, and stay close to their mother's side and drink her milk until they get older. As soon as they are born, the mother orca and another female quickly push the calf to the surface of the water to get their first breath of air.
The easiest way is by looking at their dorsal fins. The male's fins are tall and pointed, like a triangle. The male's dorsal fin can can grow up to 6 feet tall! Female's fins are about 3 feet tall and curved. Orca's dorsal fins are made of cartalage. (Your ear is made of cartalage too.)
The sounds orcas make a loud squeaks and clicks. They can whistle through their blowholes, and find objects underwater using echolocation. To hear an orca, click here!
(You need Windows Media Player)
By Christopher
When orcas get tired, they float at the top of the water and rest. Half of their brain is awake, concentrating of brething and staying afloat.
By Kelsey
The number of orcas living today is unknown. In the Arcitc terratory alone, there are about 180,000. In captivity, the current number of orcas is 48. Orcas are not an endangered species.
By Erin
Yes, orcas do sneeze! Thier way of sneezing is different than the way most mammals sneeze. They will spout from their blow holes in a very loud, sloppy way.
