Killer WhaleBy: Kevin Y. and Ivan L.

Driving Question:

• What are the physical characteristics of a killer whale? Where are they found,on Earth and what do they eat?

Table of Contents

• What is a killer whale?• Where do killer whales live?• How big are killer whales?• What do killer whales eat?• A food chain of a killer whale• A food web of a killer whale

What is a Killer Whale?

• A mammal that is the largest dolphin.

Where do Killer Whales live?

• Killer Whales are found in all oceans and most seas.

• They prefer cooler temperate and polar regions.

• Coastal areas generally preferred to deep areas.

• The Killer whale is concentrated in the northeast Pacific Basin, where Canada curves into Alaska.

• They are making a bigger presence in California and off the coasts of Iceland of Northern Norway.

How Big Are Killer Whales?

• Family - Killer whales are also known as Orca and are members of the Dolphin family.

• Size - differs greatly from males to females. The male killer whale can rage from 19 to 26 feet (6 to 8 meters) long and can weigh in excess of 6 tons (just over 13,200 pounds). Females tend to weigh less at only 4 to 5 tones (up to 11,000 pounds) and only grow to be 16 to 23 feet (5 to 7 meters) long. The largest killer whale ever recorded was seen off the coast of Japan. It was a male, measuring 32 feet (9.8 meters) long and was estimated to weigh over 8 tones (17,636 pounds).

What Do Killer Whales Eat?

Killer whales’ diet includes fish, squid, seals, sea lions, walruses, birds, sea turtles, otters, penguins, polar bears, reptiles, sharks,

octopus and even smaller whales. Killer whales eat about 500 pounds of food each day. Therefore, up to 60% of their time can be

spent to get food.

Killer whales’ diets will depend on the place they inhabit at a particular time.

Food Chain of a Killer Whale

A Food Web of a Killer Whale

Resources

• Google images• Google.com• Bing.com• Bing images• Ask.com• Dolphin-world.com