The lack of clarity is because there are no reports of orcas chasing humans for food. When they occur, it is generally believed the humans were mistaken for prey. Their prey includes various animals, including:Īlthough killer whales in the wild have very rarely made attacks on humans, there have been occasions when orcas have done so. This gives us some idea of their predation capacity. They are capable of eating at least 45 kg of prey per day, but they can ingest larger quantities. Killer whales can feed on a wide variety of marine animals, which they efficiently chase and capture. They can carry out this activity in a group with great coordination and precision. They are extraordinary predators, not only as individuals. This term is associated with their proficient hunting ability. Learn more about the classification of these animals with our article on the different types of whales.Īs we have mentioned, orcas have been identified with the fearsome moniker of killer whales. However, it is also important to note that even the term whale is a rather informal categorization with various correlations. It is helpful to make this distinction so that we can better understand these animals. While they share share some characteristics of other whales, they are physically closer to other dolphin species. The killer whale is a type of toothed whale, more specifically, they are a dolphin. Cetaceans without them use a filtration system to eat smaller aquatic animals, while toothed whales can bite and hold on to their prey to kill them.
The difference lies in the absence or presence of teeth. They feed largely on fish, but some are able to kill other mammals due to their teeth. Toothed whales (Odontoceti): as their name suggests, these are cetaceans which have teeth.They are categorized by having whalebone plates in their mouth which sieve their food from the water. In fact, the blue whale is the largest of any species to have exist, as far as records show. Baleen whales (Mysticeti): these contain the largest of all whale species, such as the blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus).There are two categorizations which can help us to better understand these groupings: By this, we mean there are animals which have the given name of ‘whale’, but which are not actually considered true whales. This taxonomic categorization is further complicated by the fact not all whales are even whales. The infraorder Cetacea contains not only whales, but also include dolphins and porpoises. For this reason, many people refer to cetaceans as whales. In the animal kingdom, it is common to refer to a taxonomic group as a more general name. The greatest diversity of cetaceans can be found in the earth's oceans, but some species do live in freshwater and even brackish water ecosystems. This is mostly, but noy exclusively, saltwater. They are all mammals which have exclusively aquatic habits, meaning they only live in water. Cetaceans are animals of the infraorder Cetacea.
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