Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The habitat of the Northern residents overlaps with the Southern residents; however, the two types of orcas have never been observed together. Members of A clan have been the most commonly sighted whales off northeastern Vancouver Island, whereas G clan is most commonly sighted off the west coast of Vancouver Island, and members of R clan are ...
Orcas also prey on larger species such as sperm whales, grey whales, humpback whales and minke whales. [ 84 ] [ 40 ] 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. [ 89 ]
The research vessel Noctiluca of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in close proximity to an orca. The southern resident orcas, also known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), are the smallest of four communities of the exclusively fish-eating ecotype of orca in the northeast Pacific Ocean.
Many whale watching organizations throughout the region target the orcas, including resident and transient groups, and often work with nonprofit organizations like the Center for Whale Research and The Whale Museum to promote orca conservation. Native American tribes and First Nations throughout the area hold the whales in high regard.
For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to reach us
The whales eat amphipod crustaceans like tiny shrimp and worms, which they consume by sucking up water and sediment from the seafloor, where such creatures live, then using their baleens to filter ...
In 2010, researchers found whales carry nutrients from the depths of the ocean back to the surface using a process they called the whale pump. [29] Whales feed at deeper levels in the ocean where krill is found, but return regularly to the surface to breathe. There whales defecate a liquid rich in nitrogen and iron.
Orcas or killer whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and several distinct populations or types have been documented or suggested. Three to five types of orcas may be distinct enough to be considered different races , [ 1 ] subspecies , or possibly even species [ 2 ] (see Species problem ).