Orcinus+Orca

=  Orca Whales = == ==

Summary~
Orca whales, also known as killer whales or blackfish, are easily recognized by their obvious white and black markings which act as camoflage. Killer whales are a member of the dolphin family, in fact, they are considered the largest type of dolphin. They can range from 23-32 feet long, depending on gender, and can have a life expectency of 50-80 years old which also depends the gender of the whale. The average weight of an individual orca is around 6 tons. Orca whales are carnivorous and feed on many varieties of animals. They hunt in groups called pods that can contain up to 40 members. They are known to live in every ocean worldwide, but are most commonly found in Artic and and Antartic waters. Killer whales are highly social animals and are very intelligent mammals.

Anatomy~
*23-32 feet long *average weight of 6 tons *distinct black and white markings(including white eyespot and gray 'saddle' behind dorsal fin. *sleek rubbery streamline bodyshape *40-56 3 inch long teeth *rounded and paddle-like forelimbs(pectorial fins) *strong tail (flukes) *dorsal fin (tallest of all whales and dolphins, 6 feet tall) *blowhole

Physiology~
<span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">Orca whales use their flukes otherwise known as their caudal fins to push their bodies through the water. The Dorsal fin located on the back of killer whales are used to steer themselves. Pectoral fins or flippers are also used in steering but are also used through touch communication and affection.

<span style="color: #6000ff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 130%; line-height: 25px;">Taxonomy~
<span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">Phylum Chordata -> Class Mammalia -> Order Cetacea -> Family Delphinidae -> Genus Orcinus -> Species: Orcinus orca <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">Orcas are part of the chordata phylum, because they have backbones and since they are marine mammals they are characterized in class mammalia. All whales and dolphins are classified in order Cetacea, and since killer whales are a member of the dolphin family they go to family Delphinadae. Finally they're species s of course Orcinus. :)

<span style="color: #6000ff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 22px; line-height: 32px;">**Ecology~ **

<span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">Killer whales can be found in every ocean and almost all seas worldwide although they preferably like colder waters. A layer called blubber allows them to stay warm in such cold waters. Some killer whales have even been spotted in freshwater rivers rather than saltwater. For the most part these mammals like sticking near the coast, but will venture into deeper waters if food is limited near the coast. Their adaptability has allowed them to survive for a long time, even when their numbers were dropping. Other marine mammals such as minke whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals, have been seen swimming with orca whales. Under most <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%; line-height: normal;"> circumstances, these animals would fall prey to orcas, but sometimes they work together hunting, such as hunting for a group of fish. <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">Next to humans, orca whales are the most widely distributed mammal known.

<span style="color: #6000ff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 130%;">Reproduction~
<span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">Killer whales give birth to a single baby every 3-10 years. These whales start breeding around the ages of 14 or 15 years old. They carry their babies for 16-17 months, and once born, the baby will nurse for about one year. Unfortunately, about half of orca whale babies die within the first year of life. Female orca whales will only breed for about 25 years and stop around the age of 40, while male orca whales only live to be around 30 years old. Little evidence is known the actual mating encounter for these creatures.

<span style="color: #6000ff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 130%;">Relationship with Humans~
B<span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">efore laws and regulations, killer whales were commercially hunted dating back to the 18th century. Whales were hunted during this time <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">for food and oil. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, many hunters moved onto hunting baleen whales and ignored killer whales due to their lower numbers, limited amount of salvageable oil and simply their difficulty to catch. Due to the dropping numbers, commercial whaling was banned in 1986. Today, killer whales are used for entertainment in aquatic shows due to their intelligence and personality. Originally, live captures were done to receive these whales but since many died through live capture, today most are captive born. Some organizations such as the World Society for the Protection on Animals and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society protest against keeping orca whales in captivity. About 60-90% of captive males suffer from dorsal fin collapse and captive lifespans of orcas average of 20 years compared to the original lifespan of 50-80 years. Protesters state that a captive lifestyle has little resemblance of their natural habitat and that a captive lifestyle is simply to stressful for these creatures since performing 'circus trick' isn't part of the natural behavior of killer whales. Despite these organizations efforts, killer whales are still legalized in captivity and are a popular attraction for the public.



<span style="color: #6000ff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 130%;">Videos~ [[image:http://www.gif-gifs.com/gif-English/killer-whale-gifs/killer-whale-gif-%20(5).gif]]
<span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7Zbx5aYTJk&fea][|ture=related]



<span style="color: #6000ff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 130%;">Sources~
<span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[|http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.orca-live.net/card/images/fig.gif&imgrefurl=http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_the_male_orcas_and_female_orcas_have_different_dorsal_fins&usg=__4UFGphH7a3cjy4P1M4TT1hra-Ps=&h=271&w=240&sz=11&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=9QVvSD] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">[] <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">http://www.orcahome.de/images/spy2.gif <span style="color: #009aff; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%;">http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGC/StaticFiles/Images/Show/39xx/393x/3936_Wild_Orca_Killing_School-06_04700300.JPG