The Killer Whale (Essay Sample)

The Killer Whale
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The Killer Whale
The killer whale is one of the largest predators in the sea. It has a rounded head, black and white body patterns, and long dorsal fin. An adult male is larger than a female; it can grow up to 9 meters long. The behaviors of killer whales depend on their geographical location; the northern hemisphere killer whales behave differently from their southern counterparts (Pitman, Perryman, Leroi, & Filers, 2007).
Killer whales are highly selective in their diet; they strictly eat specific species of animals found along their migration routes. For instance, in the northern hemisphere, the transient killer whales eat marine mammals while the resident killer whales specialize on hunting fish and squid. Similarly, the offshore killer whales eat cartilaginous and bony fish. The mammal-eating transient killer whales hunt northern fur and largha seals while the fish-eating resident killer whales hunt salmons and Atka mackerel (Bruyn, Tosh, & Terauds, 2013).
Killer whales are social creatures; they spend most of their time in groups. They also have a habit of sharing meals. Although such social behaviors are largely similar among all the species of killer whales, variations exist depending on geographical location. For instance, in the northern hemisphere where there are three species, three distinct social organizations exist. The resident killer whales are organized in pods consisting of an average of 18 members. The members are mainly groups of related females who keep the continuity of each pod. Although the members of a pod can disperse, they rarely do so permanently. They always regroup after a short period of dispersion (Bruyn, Tosh, & Terauds, 2013).
The transient killer whales are also organized in pods. However, the average size of a pod is 2.4. It is believed that these whales stay in small groups consisting of a few individuals because of their food preferences. Unlike the resident whales, the transient killer whales often split up permanently. However, there are those who stay in relatively large groups because they hunt large prey, which require the efforts of many members (Bruyn, Tosh, & Terauds, 2013).
The offshore killer whales are also organized in social groups. They stay in very large groups consisting of 75 – 100 individuals. Such social groups are like a combination of many pods of the resident or transient killer whales. In fact, large groupings of offshore killer whales are often described as clans rather than pods (Bruyn, Tosh, & Terauds, 2013).
In the southern hemisphere, little is known about killer whales’ social organization. However, from the available data, the killer whales of New Zealand show some characteristics of a social organization. For example, they spend their time in small pods of about four individuals. Each pod co...