Killer Whales, Apex Predators Doing What They Want, When They Want
I don't think there's a predator that's more awe inspiring on this planet then the Killer Whale. Intelligence off the charts, an unbelievable social structure, superior hunting techniques, family orientated, and one of the largest and most powerful apex predators in the oceans today. In other words, They Kick Ass!
Males can grow to 26' weighing 6 tonnes, while females are only slightly smaller at 23' and 4 tonnes. While being the biggest dolphin, and one of the biggest oceanic creatures it can propel that very powerful body up to 30 miles an hour (48km) when the mood strikes. While the average size of killer whales are in the twentys the largest female ever recorded was 28' weighing 7.5 tonnes, while the largest male was 32' in length while tipping the scales at over 10 tonnes.
With all this power you'd think there might be more attacks on humans in the wild... nope. Not one fatal attack outside of captivity and the only real attacks have been minuscule and curiosity invoked at best, I could find three on record only one had a bite involved. Truly only when they're kept in tanks have there been fatal attacks on humans.
Of the very few confirmed attacks on humans by wild killer whales, none have been fatal.[199] In one instance, killer whales tried to tip ice floes on which a dog team and photographer of the Terra Nova Expedition was standing.[200] The sled dogs' barking is speculated to have sounded enough like seal calls to trigger the killer whale's hunting curiosity. In the 1970s, a surfer in California was bitten, and in 2005, a boy in Alaska who was splashing in a region frequented by harbor seals was bumped by a killer whale that apparently misidentified him as prey
The Hunting Techniques Of Killer Whales Are Amazing
Killer whales apply a variety of hunting trchniques catching, immobilizing, and killing their prey. They are amazingly efficient and can hunt both in pods and alone. Seals have a hard time existing in the ocean, on the beach, or on ice. Killer whales can essentially beach themselves in an attempt to catch unsuspecting seals frolicking too close to the deadly waters edge. Sometimes the younger seals stare on in curiosity and disbelief as a dark ominous shape approaches in the wake, attempting to flee only when it's already become far too late.
Seals on ice fair no better as the artificially created waves of fate decend upon them created by the whales themselves. As the waves slowly move the seals back and forth sliding uncontrollably off the ice, they inevitably succumb and fall into their watery grave. Truly the ingenuity in the Orca knows few boundaries.
Do Killer Whales Play With Their Food? Hell Yeah They Do!
That's A Seal 80 Feet In The Air, No Big Deal!
Depending on the type of prey the killer whale adapts, learns, and executes multiple different hunting techniques to capture, corral, and kill their prey. They can nearly beach themselves to catch seals, make waves that push seals off icebergs, into the water, turning the poor seal into a quick and easy meal. Sometimes the younger seals stare in wonderment as the dark ominous shapenapproaches in the wake realizing the inescapable danger only too late. They hunt in packs, and can hit sharks from underneath with enough power to flip them over, put them into a state of toxic immobility
Killer whales hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals. There appear to be both resident and transient pod populations of killer whales. These different groups may prey on different animals and use different techniques to catch them. Resident pods tend to prefer fish, while transient pods target marine mammals. All pods use effective, cooperative hunting techniques that some liken to the behavior of wolF packs.
Take On A Great White? Sure Why Not.
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/killer-whale/#close
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale
http://www.killer-whale.org
N.G.89