walkers are some of the most majestic creatures on the planet distinct in
appearance these beautiful beasts are well known for their sleek black body and pearly
white underside as well as the familiar white covering above and behind their eye over the
years accounts from coastal communities report orcas who follow fishing boats and make regular
appearances around populated ports engaging in the odd bit of cheeky entertainment just
for fun orcas are a beautiful species that have been studied in and out of captivity
yet still there is a lot we don't know here are 10 amazing facts about the killer whale
ten they're not even whales the image of the killer whale and their elusive reputation for
consuming colossal sized prey may be debunked when the world learns these majestic mammals
aren't even whales at all while they are certainly as enormous as whales they are in fact dolphins
the world's largest species of dolphin and this explains why they have teeth even though orcas
are killer in the sense they're cool the name derives from a diet consisting of whales hence
killer of whales belonging to the dolphin family del fin a day their closest relatives are the
Irrawaddy dolphins native to Australia and Southeast Asia orcas are the only species of
a genus which explains their unique form and beautiful black and white markings the deeds
are some of the biometrics of a talker they can swim first live long and are massive in size in
infancy a baby Orca will weigh in at about 400 pounds which is comparative to the mass of a
motorbike the little guy will typically be 6 to 9 feet long while their adult counterparts can
reach 23 to 32 feet - contradicts their offspring and I don't male weighs up to 6 tons almost the
size of a large boss due to their immense size and power these fierce swimmers have been recorded at
speeds of up to 33 miles per hour when it comes to their lifespan however they don't live as long as
are the whales the average life of a male Orca is 29 years females have significantly longer lives
despite the fact that they endure menopause and research suggests that their longevity is to help
care for the other young members of the pod in the wild female orcas live an average of 50 years
though much older accounts claim 80 years or more while one particular Orca was thought to have been
105 when she died there isn't stable evidence to prove this 8 the hunt is on walkers are known to
eat animals much larger than themselves but they also chow down on unsuspecting sharkbait - they
even eat their own kind although orcas are dolphins themselves they will eat all the
species of dolphin if necessary extremely Swift animals the speed of a dolphin makes it a much
sought-after catch so in the midst of a high-speed chase an orca will Ram and stun its prey before
going in for the count orcas are unable to take their victim out with a fatal bite as opening
their mouths causes a painful drag along their lower jaw so a game of bumper cars ensues and
the Orca always wins such is the case with large fish as well as orcas will stun them with a lethal
strike of their tails as these predatory animals are known for their high level of intelligence
they utilize their smarts to work together in coordinated attacks these organized onslaughts
can create a flurry of waves that will knock prey right off their floating lights pedestals
lots more walkers have even begun the dangerous act of beaching themselves in order to entice sea
lions before submerging back into the water orcas are remarkable species because their diets and
behavior vary based on location for example the majestic animals are separated into two ecotypes
the north eastern pacific swimmers are fish eaters and they're nomadic counterparts eat mostly marine
mammals Walker's residing in waters near New Zealand for instance survive off sharks and
stingrays seven they get around it just so happens that orcas of the most widespread mammal besides
humans there is nearly no inch of the globe that man has not infiltrated and the same goes for
these Titan transients of the sea the Orca species ranges from the Arctic to the Antarctic and move
freely everywhere from the ice count waters of the north and south to the rhythmical movement of
warmer waters along the equator orcas can be found around the tropical Hawaiian Islands stretching to
the Galapagos in the Gulf of California may come in second to humans as far as global distribution
yet orcas are not limited to our oceans alone some have been spotted in freshwater rivers
such as the Rhine Thames and Elbe rivers in one instance a solo Orca was seen 100 miles of the
Colombian River hunting for fish six they stick together like humans orcas are very dependent on
one another and prefer to socialise in communities pods and clams a community is made up of several
different clans that regularly cross paths and have territories which overlap when it comes to
discrepancy of pods versus clans they are solely distinct due to language a single plan consists
of several pods of family groups while each pod speaks the same language the each of their own
dialect an accent for example someone from England may have a cockney accent just as someone from the
United States may have a southern twang underwater they rely on clicks and whistles to exchange
information with other members of the pod at the surface they've been known to use body language
breaching slapping the water with their flippers or tail and spyhopping or bringing their head out
of the water will do the trick as far as clans are concerned they speak entirely different languages
from another clan when clowns come together it can be just as confusing for the animals as it is for
a Chinese speaker attempting to communicate with a Russian speaker what's in a name to build on their
correct nomenclature researchers thought sure where killer whales got their dark designation
from despite a few issues in showbiz they don't typically attack humans yet the name is fitting
due to their ability to take down large marine animals such as whales sharks and sea lions theory
suggests but past Whalers became familiar with the intended prey and denoted the beasts as killers of
whales over time the name became corrupted by the kind of people who love all things grim and
grisly to add the Latin name for Orca is orcas Orca which translates to of the kingdom of the
Dead the interpretation correlates the Roman god of the underworld orcas with the fierce hunting
reputation of the ominous killer while and there we have a fascinating association with the beast
and its bearings mammals have menopause - well at least female orcas do while every other animal on
the planet can procreate till their death only three species stand above the crowd humans pilot
whales and orcas despite the fetus facility giving out these three entities continue to
live on for decades although their prenatal abilities do not why is this since some may
argue reproduction is the basis for evolution why would a species stop reproducing midlife science
has proposed a fascinating explanation known as the grandmother hypothesis an idea founded
in 1966 the theory proposes that older females forgo the option to bear more in order to support
the ones they have in an effort to help their children and grandchildren thrive and survive
there is an assurance that the females genes can surge down through subsequent generations
investigators have further sealed uncertainties regarding menopause in orcas since both sons and
daughters remain in the pod well into adulthood the older females become increasingly related to
everyone else similar to humans sharing genes with one's relatives is never good for the cognitive
abilities of weaker offspring when it's clear that a female Orca shares too many genes with
other pod affiliates cheese grannies and as no it's in everyone's best interest that she support
guide and teach all the children grandchildren and great-grandchildren three walkers of all as humans
do there are no known animal species to evolve based on culture except for orcas according to
a recent study the genes of different Orca pods were analyzed to show clear distinctions in genes
which coincided with distinctions in culture a special team set out to compare the genomes of two
separate cultures of orcas in the Pacific Ocean as well as three cultures in the Antarctic Ocean to
the surprise of the group the genomes fell into five different groups which perfectly coincided
with the cultural distinctions in each since only humans are known to evolved based on their
culture this can lend a major breakthrough for the scientific world to put it simply it's difficult
for distinct groups of walkers to interact with other groups they don't merely mingle
as one might expect rather Orcas a varying region but for different kinds of prey utilize different
techniques and survival skills and even produce different languages since orcas rarely breed with
members of another demographic the chances of maintaining the distinct genomes is that much
higher to the gang gets invincible remarkably orcas don't have any predators they are at the
very top of the food chain and are therefore considered apex predators since orcas are among
some of the largest and most powerful creatures and deep blue no other animal is able to challenge
them not even the mammoth sized blue whale and not even the rapacious great white shark now that's
impressive deadly by association there's only been one report of a wild Orca lashing out at a
human on the water and defendants of the species maintained it was a case of mistaken identity as
the victim was a surfer very suggest the wetsuits actually protect swimmers from any unwanted or
currents the material stabilizes invisibility against the animals solar abilities thanks to
the insulating nitrogen bubbles that make up the suit in captivity however orcas have been known
to behave very differently as several attacks on humans have occurred in zoos and aquariums
since the 60s a killer whale called Tilley Mont famous Shamu impersonator for over 25 years at
SeaWorld killed three different people on separate occasions there is much controversy as to why a
this happened circulating back to heartbreaking living conditions horrible treatment and health
as poor captivity and the detriment of one's well-being could cause any animal to snap the
renowned documentary blackfish highlights the infamous Tilley as the film uncovers problems
with the sea park industry humans treatment of nature and the high intelligence of these
remarkable animals do you think dolphin should be allowed in captivity why why not let us know
your opinion in the comment section below and thanks for watching what lurks below