Killer whales feature strongly in the mythologies of indigenous cultures, and their reputation in different cultures ranges from being the souls of humans to merciless killers. ==Taxonomy and evolution== Orcinus orca is the only recognized extant species in the genus Orcinus, and one of many animal species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Its only observed prey is the Antarctic cod. Type D was identified based on photographs of a 1955 mass stranding in New Zealand and six at-sea sightings since 2004.
Since the 1960s, "orca" has steadily grown in common use.
orca will be split into a number of different species or at least subspecies over the next few years." Although large variation in the ecological distinctiveness of different killer whale groups complicate simple differentiation into types, research off the west coast of Canada and the United States in the 1970s and 1980s identified the following three types: Resident: These are the most commonly sighted of the three populations in the coastal waters of the northeast Pacific.
orca will be split into a number of different species or at least subspecies over the next few years." Although large variation in the ecological distinctiveness of different killer whale groups complicate simple differentiation into types, research off the west coast of Canada and the United States in the 1970s and 1980s identified the following three types: Resident: These are the most commonly sighted of the three populations in the coastal waters of the northeast Pacific.
Two dwarf species, named Orcinus nanus and Orcinus glacialis, were described during the 1980s by Soviet researchers, but most cetacean researchers are sceptical about their status, and linking these directly to the types described below is difficult. Type A looks like a "typical" killer whale, a large, black-and-white form with a medium-sized white eye patch, living in open water and feeding mostly on minke whales. Type B is smaller than type A.
The term has become increasingly common and may eventually replace the transient label. Offshore: A third population of killer whales in the northeast Pacific was discovered in 1988, when a [whale] researcher observed them in open water.
Japan's Fisheries Agency estimated in the 2000s that 2,321 killer whales were in the seas around Japan. ==Feeding== Killer whales are apex predators, meaning that they themselves have no natural predators.
Its only observed prey is the Antarctic cod. Type D was identified based on photographs of a 1955 mass stranding in New Zealand and six at-sea sightings since 2004.
In late 2005, the southern resident killer whales, which swim in British Columbia and Washington state waters, were placed on the U.S.
The IUCN reported in 2008, "The taxonomy of this genus is clearly in need of review, and it is likely that O.
In February 2008, a white killer whale was photographed off Kanaga Volcano in the Aleutian Islands.
Over 50 individual whales have been documented in the northern Indian Ocean, including two individuals that were sighted in the Persian Gulf in 2008 and off Sri Lanka in 2015.
In 2010, the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP), co-founded and co-directed by Alexander M.
The first video record of this type was made in 2014 between the Kerguelen and Crozet Islands, and again in 2017 off the coast of Cape Horn, Chile.
Over 50 individual whales have been documented in the northern Indian Ocean, including two individuals that were sighted in the Persian Gulf in 2008 and off Sri Lanka in 2015.
The first video record of this type was made in 2014 between the Kerguelen and Crozet Islands, and again in 2017 off the coast of Cape Horn, Chile.
A 2019 study of Type D orcas also found them to be distinct from other populations and possibly even a unique species. Mammal-eating killer whales in different regions were long thought likely to be closely related, but genetic testing has refuted this hypothesis. There are seven identified ecotypes inhabiting isolated ecological niches.
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Page generated on 2021-08-05