What is a killer whale? A killer whale is considered a whale to most people, but its is actually the largest of all dolphins and one of the most superior predators in the world (Killer Whale, National Geographic). The scientific name for a killer whale is Orcinus Orca. The killer whale falls into the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Chordata, the class Mammalia, and the order Cetacea (Killer Whales , NOAA). Killer whales or orcas are one of the most intelligent species world. Orca’s are widely distributed in all parts of the ocean even the tropics (Diagram A).
The estimated population of a killer whale is fifty thousand to about one hundred thousand. (7 Things About Killer Whales, Take Part) . Killer whales are solid black and white, they also have a gray patch on their back called a “cape” or a “saddle” . The top(dorsal) side of the dolphin is black, including the pectoral flippers. The bottom (ventral) side is mostly white. The oval white spots behind the eyes are called “eyespots”. The size of a killer whale varies depending on the location of the dolphin. Adult killer whale females are smaller than adult males.
A killer whale has a fusiform body shape. A fusiform body shape has less drag, which means that it is an efficient swimmer. The pectoral fin of a killer whale, which is very similar to a human hand (Diagram B), is used to steer and the flukes, or tails, are used to stop. The dorsal fin is used to help stabilize the whale when it swims at high speeds it is also encircled by veins to help manage the body temperature. The killer whale’s eyes are on both sides of the head, its about the same size of the eyes of the cow. The ears are a tiny opening just behind the eyes.
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Covered by a muscular flap is the blowhole, this is what the killer whale breathes through. (Physical Characteristics, Sea World). The killer whale has four senses taste, touch, hearing and eyesight. Killer whales do have taste buds, they prefer a specific food fishes. A killer whale has a very well developed sense of touch. Orcas have great vision both in and out of water. A marine mammals eyesight is grater than a land mammals. Often in the darker sides of the ocean their eyesight becomes weak and make its difficult to see their prey, in this case they use their sound receptors to navigate.
Orcas have very well developed hearing. Recent studies have shown that orcas can hear up to 100kHz. The lower jaw of the killer whale also acts as a sound receptor (Diagram C). Killer whales do not have a sense of smell because the olfactory nerves and olfactory lobes of the brain aren’t present. Since they are air breathing mammals that spend most of their time underwater a sense of smell wouldn’t really come to use. (Senses, SeaWorld) Killer whales reproduce sexually. A female killer whale is sexually mature when it reaches fifteen to sixteen feet. Males are sexually mature when they reach eighteen to twenty feet.
Baby killer whales are called calves. The gestation process for calves is seventeen months. Calves are born throughout the year but mostly during the summer time. Calves are born every five years. A calf weighs around three hundred to four hundred pounds and is approximately eight feet long. (Reproduction and Gestation, WhalesBC). Orcas are very conservative of their young. (Killer Whales, National Geographic). Killer whale are highly active predators. Orcas eat a wide variety of species, such as squids, sea mammals, and fish. These dolphins are one of the top predators in the ocean.
Orcas eat a wide variety of fish, like fishes from the surface, such as salmon, to bottom dwelling species, such as halibut. Some orcas feed on marine mammals like walruses, baleen whale, sea lion, seals, and sometimes sea otters. Its common for killer whales to eat varieties of fish and squids , but very rarely they eat sea mammals. Adult Orcas eat about two to four percent of their body weight in food every day(Food Preferences and Resources, Sea World). That is approximately about one hundred fifty to three hundred pounds of food a day(Killer Whales, MarineBio. Net).
Growing calves eat more they eat as much as ten percent of their body weight. Killer whale hunt in groups or “pods”. A pod is a bunch of individuals moving together as a group. A pod size is different in all areas of the globe. Male, female and calves are often grouped together in pods. Orcas often work together to surround a group of small prey before attacking. When hunting a bigger species such as a whale , the pod of dolphins would attack from several different angles all at once. Orcas are called killer whales because they tend to eat mostly whatever is in their ath. Orcas have very sharp, cone shaped teeth used to rip and tear prey. (Methods of Collecting Food, Sea World). Killer whales use echolocation sound wave to communicate. Echolocation is the location of objects by reflected sounds. This is used in dolphins and bats. This is what the killer whales rely on to hunt in the dark, communicate, and to navigate. Some sounds a killer whale make are jaw claps , echolocation clicks, low-frequency pops, pulsed calls, and whistles . The orca makes this sound by moving the air between the nasal sacs in the blowhole area.
Humans have a lot of impact on killer whales. Humans have always been interested in learning abut the killer whale, but not much research could be found on them. The first image of a killer whale was found on a cave drawing in Norway, its about 9000 years old. There are often false myths about killer whales, and many times this misinformation leads to harm for the whales. Killer whales have been often hunted for their meats, organs, and blubber. Before 1981, six thousand killer whales were taken by Japanese , Norwegian, and Soviet whalers. (Human Impact, Sea World).
Killer whales have many adaptations like diving, respiration, thermoregulation, and sleep. Orcas are very fast swimmers in the water. They can swim up to twenty eight miles per hour. They usually swim eight miles per hour. Killer whales maneuver well in the ocean. When near the surface the killer whale stays under water for thirty seconds or less. Killer whales are also known for their diving tactics. They can dive one hundred meters in the ocean. Killer whales also use thermoregulation. Thermoregulation is also the process of regulating body temperature.
Orcas are very warm blooded their body temperature is similar humans. The large size of a killer whale keeps the whale warm. Under the orcas skin is a very thick layer of blubber which helps protect the amount of heat loss. Killer whales have a high metabolism, which also creates a lot of body heat. The orcas circulatory system assist in keeping the body temperature in place. The arteries contain warm blood from the core of the body and the veins contain cool blood, heat is often transferred from the arteries to the eins (Diagram D shows how this happens). Killer whales have been observed to rest or “sleep” for short periods of time sometimes as long as eight hours during the night. Calves have been observed to rest for a lesser period of time. (Adaptations, Sea world) Since Killer whales have no predator they could live fifty to eighty years. The only predators killer whale’s have are human (Killer Whales, NOAA). There are many causes to the death of killer whales, one cause is disease. Ulcers, tumors, skin diseases , heart disease, and respiratory issues.
Some killer whale have been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, this is a cancer of lymph tissue found in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow, and other sites. Orcas sometimes suffer from several infections. Parasites are another issue causing harm to the killer whales health. Some parasite are flukes, roundworm, and tapeworms. (Longevity and causes of death, Sea world) The killer whale, or orca, is the fastest of the marine mammals; its powerful tail flukes help propel it through the water. It is also the largest of all dolphins.
Orcas can get very big, it is possible for then to weigh up to six tons. Some orcas grow twenty three to thirty two feet long. They have approximately forty to fifty cone-shaped teeth, that are up to four inches long. Not much is told about their age but some resources show that some killer whales that live in the wild are about thirty to eighty years old. Killer whales have a widely spread population they are found in all parts of the oceans. Orcas have a counter shaded color pattern, they have a solid black top, and a solid white bottom with an oval shaped white spot which is called an “eyespot” .
The dorsal fin for adult male are triangle shapes and can be up to six feet high. On the other hand a female dorsal fin is slightly curved, and that can grow up to three feet high. Orcas are considered to be one of the top predators in the ocean. Killer whales eat a variety of fish, seals, whales, sea lions, squid, and seabirds. Research shows that killer whales are capable of ripping seals of ice. Whales hunt in a group called “pods”. There are two types of pods residential and transient. Residential prefer to hunt fish and transient prefer to hunt marine mammals.
Orcas use echolocation to find food, this technique is also used by bats. Orcas give birth every three to five years in the wild. Females carry their young for seventeen months. Baby orcas or calves are born up to eight feet long and can weight up to four hundred pounds. Orcas are highly protective of their young. These “pods” communicate with different noises. Killer whales are very intelligent. There has never been a document case on a killer whale attacking a human. (Twenty interesting facts about killer whales, Angela W. LaFon)
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Nyangumi mwuaji ni nini? Killer whale ni aina ya dolphin ambayo ni kubwa zaidi kuliko dolphin nyingine zote duniani. Jina la kisayansi la nyangumi mwuaji ni Orcinus Orca. Kamba-mwitu ni jamii ya wanyama (Animalia), jamii ya wanyama (Chordata), jamii ya wanyama (Mammalia) na jamii ya wanyama (Cetacea). Nyangumi wa killer au orcas ni moja ya spishi zenye akili zaidi ulimwenguni. Orcas ni sana kusambazwa katika sehemu zote za bahari hata kitropiki (Mfano A). Idadi ya nyangumi wauaji inakadiriwa kuwa kati ya elfu hamsini na mia moja. (Mambo 7 Kuhusu Nyangumi Wauaji, Chukua Sehemu) Nyangumi wauaji ni nyeusi na nyeupe, pia wana doa la kijivu kwenye mgongo wao linaloitwa <unk>cape<unk> au <unk>saddle<unk>. Sehemu ya juu (ya mgongo) ya pomboo ni nyeusi, kutia ndani mabawa ya kifua. Upande wa chini (ventral) ni zaidi nyeupe. Madoa meupe ya umbo la mviringo nyuma ya macho huitwa <unk>eyespots<unk>. Ukubwa wa nyangumi wauaji hutofautiana ikitegemea mahali ambapo pomboo huyo yuko. Nyani wa kike wa kamba-mwitu ni wadogo kuliko wanaume wa kamba-mwitu. Nyangumi mwitu ana umbo la mwili la fusiform. Mwili wenye umbo la fusiform una nguvu ndogo ya kuvuta maji, na hilo linamaanisha kwamba ni mwogeleaji mwenye ustadi. Pembe ya kifua ya nyangumi wa killer, ambayo ni sawa sana na mkono wa binadamu (Mfano B), hutumiwa kuongoza na flukes, au mikia, hutumiwa kuacha. Pembe ya mgongo ni sehemu ya mwili wa nyangumi ambayo hutumiwa kuimarisha mwili wake wakati wa kuogelea kwa kasi, na pia ina mishipa ya damu ambayo husaidia kudhibiti joto la mwili. Macho ya nyangumi mwuaji yako pande zote mbili za kichwa chake, ni ya ukubwa sawa na macho ya ng'ombe. Masikio ni sehemu ndogo iliyo nyuma tu ya macho. Killer whale na ripoti ya bure ya plagiarism iliyofunikwa na flap ya misuli ni blowhole, hii ni nini whale ya muuaji hupumua kupitia. (Hisa za Kifizikia, Ulimwengu wa Bahari). Nyangumi mwitu ana hisi nne: ladha, kugusa, kusikia, na kuona. Nyangumi wauaji wana ladha ya ladha, wanapendelea samaki wa chakula maalum. Nyangumi mwitu ana hisi ya kugusa iliyoendelea sana. Orcas wana uwezo mkubwa wa kuona ndani na nje ya maji. Macho ya mamalia wa baharini ni mepesi kuliko ya mamalia wa nchi kavu. Mara nyingi katika sehemu zenye giza za bahari, macho yao huwa dhaifu na hufanya iwe vigumu kuona mawindo yao, katika kesi hii hutumia vipokezi vya sauti kuongoza. Orcas wana uwezo wa kusikia ulioendelea sana. Uchunguzi wa hivi karibuni umeonyesha kwamba orcas wanaweza kusikia hadi 100kHz. Mdomo wa chini wa nyangumi mwitu pia hutenda kama kipokeaji cha sauti (Mfano C). Nyangumi wauaji hawana hisi ya kunusa kwa sababu neva za kunusa na lobes za kunusa za ubongo hazipo. Kwa kuwa wao ni mamalia wanaopumua hewa na hutumia wakati wao mwingi chini ya maji, hisi ya kunusa haingekuwa muhimu. (Senses, SeaWorld) Nyangumi wauaji huzaana kwa njia ya kingono. Nyangumi wa kike huwa na ukomavu wa kingono anapofikia urefu wa futi kumi na tano hadi kumi na sita. Wanaume huwa na ukomavu wa kingono wanapofikia urefu wa meta nane hadi ishirini. Watoto wa nyangumi wauaji huitwa ndama. Mchakato wa ujauzito wa ndama ni miezi kumi na saba. Ndama huzaliwa mwaka mzima lakini hasa wakati wa kiangazi. Ndama huzaliwa kila baada ya miaka mitano. Ndama huyo hupima karibu pauni mia tatu hadi mia nne na ana urefu wa karibu meta nane. (Reproduction and Gestation, WhalesBC) Orcas huwaheshimu sana watoto wao. (Killer Whales, National Geographic) Nyangumi wauaji ni wawindaji wenye bidii sana. Orcas hula spishi mbalimbali, kama vile squid, mamalia wa baharini, na samaki. Pomboo ni mojawapo ya wanyama wakubwa zaidi wanaowinda baharini. Orcas hula samaki mbalimbali, kama vile samaki kutoka juu ya ardhi, kama vile samaki aina ya salmoni, hadi samaki wanaoishi chini ya ardhi, kama vile halibut. Baadhi ya orka hula mamalia wa baharini kama vile walrus, nyangumi, simba wa baharini, sili, na nyakati nyingine samaki aina ya otter. Ni kawaida kwa nyangumi wauaji kula aina mbalimbali za samaki na squid, lakini ni mara chache sana wao kula mamalia wa baharini. Orcas wazima hula karibu asilimia mbili hadi nne ya uzito wao wa mwili katika chakula kila siku (Chaguo la Chakula na Rasilimali, Ulimwengu wa Bahari). Kwa mfano, tunaweza kupata chakula cha karibu kilo 150 hadi 300 kwa siku (Killer Whale, Marine Bio). Net). Watoto wanaokua wanakula zaidi ya asilimia 10 ya uzito wao. Uwindaji wa nyangumi wauaji katika vikundi au <unk>pods<unk>. Kikundi ni kundi la watu wanaosonga pamoja kama kikundi. Ukubwa wa chungu ni tofauti katika maeneo yote ya dunia. Mara nyingi ndege wa kiume, wa kike, na ndama huunganishwa pamoja katika makundi. Mara nyingi orka hufanya kazi pamoja ili kuzunguka kikundi cha mawindo madogo kabla ya kushambulia. Wakati wa kuwinda spishi kubwa kama vile nyangumi, kundi la pomboo lingeshambulia kutoka pembe kadhaa tofauti kwa wakati mmoja. Orcas huitwa nyangumi wauaji kwa sababu wao hula hasa chochote kilicho ndani ya matumbo yao. Orcas wana meno makali sana yenye umbo la koni yanayotumiwa kupasua na kupasua mawindo. (Njia za Kukusanya Chakula, Ulimwengu wa Bahari). Nyangumi wauaji hutumia mawimbi ya sauti ya echolocation kuwasiliana. Echolocation ni eneo la vitu kwa sauti iliyoonyeshwa. Hii hutumiwa katika pomboo na popo. Hizi ndizo nyangumi wauaji hutegemea ili kuwinda gizani, kuwasiliana, na kusafiri. Sauti fulani zinazotokezwa na nyangumi mwuaji ni kupiga makofi, kupiga kelele, kupiga kelele kwa mzunguko wa chini, kupiga kelele kwa msukumo, na kupiga filimbi. Orca hutoa sauti hiyo kwa kuhamisha hewa kati ya mifuko ya pua katika eneo la shimo la pumzi. Wanadamu wana uvutano mkubwa juu ya nyangumi wauaji. Sikuzote wanadamu wamependezwa na kujifunza kuhusu nyangumi wauaji, lakini hakuna utafiti mwingi uliopatikana juu yao. Picha ya kwanza ya nyangumi wa killer iligunduliwa kwenye mchoro wa pango huko Norway, miaka ya 9000 hivi iliyopita. Mara nyingi kuna hadithi zisizo za kweli kuhusu nyangumi wauaji, na mara nyingi habari hizo zisizo za kweli husababisha madhara kwa nyangumi. Mara nyingi nyangumi wauaji wamekuwa wakiwinda kwa ajili ya nyama yao, viungo vya mwili, na mafuta yao. Kabla ya mwaka wa 1981, samaki 6,000 wa aina ya killer whale waliuawa na wavuvi wa Japan, Norway, na Urusi. (Human Impact, Sea World) (Uathiri wa Binadamu, Ulimwengu wa Bahari). Nyangumi wauaji wana uwezo mwingi wa kuzoea hali kama vile kupiga mbizi, kupumua, kudhibiti joto, na kulala. Orcas ni waogeleaji wepesi sana majini. Wanaweza kuogelea kwa mwendo wa kilometa 28 kwa saa. Kwa kawaida wao huogelea kilometa kumi na mbili kwa saa. Nyangumi wauaji hujiendesha vizuri baharini. Anapokuwa karibu na uso wa bahari, nyangumi-mwitu huyo hukaa chini ya maji kwa sekunde thelathini au chini ya sekunde 30. Nyangumi wauaji wanajulikana pia kwa mbinu zao za kupiga mbizi. Wanaweza kupiga mbizi mita mia moja baharini. Nyangumi wauaji pia hutumia utaratibu wa kudhibiti joto. Usimamizi wa joto pia ni mchakato wa kudhibiti joto la mwili. Orcas wana damu ya joto sana na joto la mwili wao ni sawa na la wanadamu. Ukubwa mkubwa wa nyangumi mwuaji humfanya awe na joto. Chini ya ngozi ya orcas kuna tabaka nene sana la mafuta ambayo husaidia kulinda kiasi cha kupoteza joto. Nyangumi wauaji wana kimetaboliki ya juu, ambayo pia hutokeza joto nyingi la mwili. Mfumo wa mzunguko wa damu wa nyangumi husaidia kudumisha halijoto ya mwili. Mishipa ya damu ina damu ya joto kutoka kwenye mwili na mishipa ya damu ina damu ya baridi, joto mara nyingi huhamishwa kutoka kwenye mishipa ya damu hadi kwenye mishipa ya damu (Mfano D unaonyesha jinsi hii inavyofanyika). Nyangumi wauaji wameonekana wakipumzika au "kulala" kwa muda mfupi, nyakati nyingine kwa muda wa saa nane usiku. Ndama wameonekana wakipumzika kwa muda mfupi zaidi. (Adaptations, Sea world) Kwa kuwa nyangumi wauaji hawana mnyama-mwitu wanaweza kuishi miaka hamsini hadi themanini. Wanyama-watu pekee ambao nyangumi wauaji wanawawinda ni wanadamu (nyangumi wauaji, NOAA). Kuna sababu nyingi za kifo cha nyangumi wauaji, mojawapo ni magonjwa. Majeraha, uvimbe, magonjwa ya ngozi, magonjwa ya moyo, na matatizo ya kupumua. Baadhi ya nyangumi wauaji wamegunduliwa kuwa na ugonjwa wa Hodgkin, ambao ni kansa ya tishu ya limfu inayopatikana katika kibofu cha limfu, matumbo, ini, uti wa mgongo, na maeneo mengine. Nyakati nyingine orcas hupatwa na maambukizo kadhaa. Vimelea ni tatizo jingine linalodhuru afya ya nyangumi hao. Baadhi ya vimelea hivyo ni vimelea, minyoo, na minyoo wa ukanda. "Kama vile ""Longevity and Causes of Death"" (Uhai Mrefu na Sababu za Kifo, Ulimwengu wa Bahari) orca ni mnyama wa baharini mwenye mwendo wa kasi zaidi, na kwa sababu ya mikia yake yenye nguvu, yeye huweza kusonga ndani ya maji." Pia ni dolfini mkubwa zaidi kati ya dolfini wote. Orcas wanaweza kuwa wakubwa sana, inawezekana kwa wakati huo kupima hadi tani sita. Baadhi ya orcas hukua kuwa na urefu wa meta 23 hadi 30. Wana meno yanayofanana na koni, ambayo hufikia urefu wa inchi nne. Ni vigumu kujua umri wa nyangumi hao, lakini kuna ripoti zinazosema kwamba wanaishi katika mazingira ya asili na wana umri wa miaka 30 hadi 80. Nyangumi wa killer wana idadi kubwa ya watu ambao hupatikana katika sehemu zote za bahari. Orcas wana muundo wa rangi ya counter shaded, wana juu nyeusi thabiti, na chini nyeupe thabiti na doa jeupe lenye umbo la oval ambalo huitwa <unk>eyespot<unk>. Pembe ya mgongo ya kiume mzima huwa na umbo la pembetatu na inaweza kuwa na urefu wa meta sita. Kwa upande mwingine, ncha ya mgongo ya mwanamke ni yenye umbo la mviringo kidogo, na inaweza kukua hadi urefu wa meta moja. Orcas huonwa kuwa mojawapo ya wanyama wakali zaidi baharini. Nyangumi wauaji hula samaki, sili, nyangumi, simba-bahari, kalamu, na ndege wa baharini. Utafiti unaonyesha kwamba nyangumi wauaji wanaweza kuvunja barafu. Nyangumi huwinda katika kikundi kinachoitwa <unk>pods<unk>. Kuna aina mbili za pods makazi na muda mfupi. Wakaaji hupendelea kuwinda samaki na wahamiaji hupendelea kuwinda mamalia wa baharini. Orcas hutumia echolocation kupata chakula, mbinu hii hutumiwa pia na popo. Orcas huzaa kila baada ya miaka mitatu hadi mitano katika mazingira ya porini. Wanawake hubeba watoto wao kwa miezi kumi na saba. Watoto wa orca hufikia urefu wa mita mbili na kupima uzito wa pauni mia nne. Orcas huwalinda sana watoto wao. "Vipande" hivi huwasiliana kwa kutumia kelele tofauti-tofauti. Nyangumi wauaji ni wenye akili sana. Hakuna kamwe kesi iliyoandikwa kuhusu nyangumi mwuaji aliyemshambulia mwanadamu. (Twenty Interesting Facts About Killer Whales, Angela W. LaFon) Tumia ukurasa huu Killer Whale. (Mwanzo 27:6, 7; Mathayo 24:27, 28) Kwa nini? "Kutoka kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"" kwa ""Kuchunguza"""