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Orcas also prey on larger species such as sperm whales, grey whales, humpback whales and minke whales. [ 83 ] [ 39 ] On three separate occasions in 2019 orcas were recorded to have killed blue whales off the south coast of Western Australia, including an estimated 18–22-meter (59–72 ft) individual. [ 88 ]
In orcas, false killer whales, short-finned pilot whales, narwhals, and belugas, there is an unusually long post-reproductive lifespan in females. Older females, though unable to have their own children, play a key role in the rearing of other calves in the pod, and in this sense, given the costs of pregnancy especially at an advanced age ...
False killer whale breaching. The false killer whale is an apex predator, inhabiting tropical and subtropical waters. [32] [33] Generally, the false killer whale targets a wide array of squid and fish of various sizes during daylight hours. [9] [34] They typically target large species of fish, such as mahi-mahi, wahoo and tuna.
In coastal waters near Chile in 2023, a massive female killer whale walloped the much smaller dolphin, sending it flying out of the water. Within minutes, the unequal battle was over and the orca ...
However, when considering behaviour, Cetacea can be split into whales (cetaceans more than 10 m long such as sperm and most baleen whales) and dolphins and porpoises (all Odontocetes less than 10 m long including orca [1]) as many behaviours are correlated with size.
The parvorder of Odontocetes – the toothed whales – include sperm whales, beaked whales, orcas, dolphins and porpoises. Generally their teeth have evolved to catch fish, squid or other marine invertebrates , not for chewing them, so prey is swallowed whole.
In the Faroe Islands, whales mostly eat squid, but will also eat fish species such as greater argentine and blue whiting. However, Faroe whales do not seem to feed on cod, herring, or mackerel, even when they are abundant. [20] Pilot whales generally take several breaths before diving for a few minutes. Feeding dives may last over ten minutes.
The sperm whale or cachalot [a] (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator.It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia.