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Orca Facts
What is it?
A toothed whale that is the largest member of the Dolphin family. So it is actually a species of Dolphin.
Where do they come from?
While they seem to prefer the colder waters of Antarctica, Norway and Alaska the Orca can be found in all of the world’s oceans.
What do they eat?
Depending on where they inhabit determines their food supply. For example, Orcas in the waters of Antarctica eat minke whales, seals and the Antarctic toothfish. Off the coast of Norway eat herring and schooling fish, Orcas off the coast of New Zealand eat stingrays and sharks.
How long do they live?
In the wild, their lifespan has been recorded anywhere from 50 to 90 years old.
How much do they weigh?
Anywhere from 8,000 to 16,000 lbs. The heaviest orca ever recorded was a male that was 32 feet in length and weighed a total of 22,000 lbs. The largest recorded female was 28 feet in length and weighed 16,500 lbs.
How big do they get?
Male Orcas can get up to 30 feet in length and the females can get up to 25 feet in length.
How does the Orca sleep?
The orca sleeps without ever losing consciousness. So they essentially sleep with one eye open. This type of sleep is called unihemispheric sleep. How it works is that one side of the brain sleeps while the other side is awake.
And that’s our species spotlight on the Orca.