Orca (or Killer) Whales Part 1
Until recently orca whales (which are actually part of the porpoise family) have been referred to as killer whales, but research has shown that they rarely attack whales and have not been known to attack swimmers or boats. As a result the true name of orca is now used more often. Some of these whales are trained to perform in marine land exhibits.
An adult male will generally be 30 feet long and weigh as much as 3 to 10 tons. They are the largest and fastest (30 miles an hour top speed) of the porpoise family. Huge dorsal fins on the backs of males are as much as six feet high and look like coal-black sails when showing above water. The fins of females are about half that size. Life span for the males is about 50 years and up to 80 years for the females.
They are all a pretty combination of deep black on top with a clear white underside and occasional patches of white inside the black areas. Like many other things of God’s creation, no two ever look exactly alike. Some live in every ocean, usually where there are cool waters with ample supplies of food, which include fish (especially salmon), seals and even small porpoises. When food is scarce they may attack other whales 20 times their size, biting into their soft stomachs. That is how they got the name “killer,” but actually this rarely happens.
In an earlier article we reviewed the life and ways of gray whales, with their 12,000-mile migrations from Alaska to Mexico and back. But the orca whales do not migrate at all, and trips are limited to searches for food. For instance, groups of them have been known to travel as much as 100 miles a day chasing migrating salmon, each adult eating 200 to 300 pounds of fish in the chase.
The groups that have been studied most are those around Vancouver Island in Canada and, more particularly, those in the Puget Sound waters of Washington state. Puget Sound is a busy place, and boat operators and residents along the shores enjoy frequent contacts with them.
While the groups may have from 50 to 80 or more orca whales, these include what are known as family pods. Each pod contains half a dozen or so females only—grandmothers, mothers, aunts and sisters. These travel with other pods, but do not mix with them. Females are about 10 years old before their first calf is born and then average one more every five years. The older females all help take care of the babies as long as necessary.
In the following issue we will look at some of their ways of life, which are extremely interesting and bring to mind the Bible verse, “Remember His [God’s] marvelous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.” 1 Chronicles 16:1212Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; (1 Chronicles 16:12).
ML 12/30/1990