The Killer Whale - Orcinus orca

Kingdom: Animalia

     Phylum: Chordata

         Class:  Mammalia

             Order:  Cetacea

               Suborder:  Odontoceti

                     Family:  Delphinidae

                         Genus:  Orcinus

                             Species:  orca

Orcinus orca is more commonly known as the Killer Whale and often just referred to as “orca.”  The name “whale” is a bit misleading because these orcas are actually a part of the oceanic dolphin family; in fact they are the biggest members of the dolphin family. 

The killer whale belongs to the suborder, Odontoceti, meaning toothed whale.  O. orca can be identified by the distinct color markings on their body, black and white.  It is because of this color trait that the orca has been commonly categorized a “tuxedo” animal, much like the penguin.  The orca promotes a black dorsal side with a white ventral side and patches of white around the eye.  The dorsal fin of an orca is also quite eye-catching.  This fin can become as tall as 6.5 feet tall.  To support this massive dorsal fin, the orca’s body ranges from 20 to 26 feet long for males and 16 to 23 feet for females.  The female of this species can weigh in at over 3 tonnes, while the males surpass them by weighing over 6 tonnes, full grown.  Orcas feed on a variety of prey, including whales and even sharks – including the Great White shark! 

O. orcas, are found throughout every ocean in the world.  Their range and number is so great it is unclear how many of these mammals are distributed to specific areas.  They seem to tolerate almost of temperatures of water, which is reason as to why they can be seen in almost any ocean or sea. 

Killer Whales also bring about much debate in the animal education and training industries, in regards to captivity.  The most current incident regarding these animals concerns Sea World and the heated topic of animals in human care, a.k.a – captivity.  The debate holds many concerns on both sides concerning the overall health and well being of these animals.  Pro-“Human care” activists bring to light the fact that many animals in facilities all over the world were born in those facilities and are unable to care for themselves in the wild because of this fact.    However, anti-“captivity” protesters argue that facilities are keeping these “wild” animals caged up and are essentially mentally handicapping these animals; making them “sad” or “depressed.”  The debate is one that will be seen to play out over time, with various resounding stances from both sides.  However, no one can argue the fact that facilities such as Sea World have played a major role in educating the public, conducting valuable research, performing rescue responses and vitial rehabilitation of these animals. 

Literature Cited

Undefined. (2011). Killer Whale (Orca). NOAA National Geographic. Retrieved April 17, 2011,
     from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/killer-whale.html

Undefined. (2011). Killer Whale. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2011, from
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale

Undefined. (2010). Orca, Killer Whale: ZoomWhales.com.  Enchantedlearning.com. Retrieved
    April 17, 2011.  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Orca.shtml.

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