Killer whales are apex predators, which means they have no natural predators. They hunt in packs, much like wolves, which are also at the top of their food chain.
Orcas are apex predators, at the top of the food chain. No animals hunt orcas (except for humans). Killer whales feed on many different types of prey, including fish, seals, sea birds and squid.
"This kind of association between one species and its apparent predator is unusual." It turns out the dolphins have nothing to fear from these particular killer whales, also known as orcas.
Do orcas have predators? Orcas are apex predators, which means they're at the very top of the food chain and they have no predators. Killer whales are some of the largest and most powerful animals in the ocean, and no other predator is able to challenge them.
What do orcas eat? Looking at all populations, orcas are generalist eaters, consuming fish, seals and sea lions, dolphins and porpoises, sharks and rays, large whales, cephalopods (octopods and squids), seabirds and more.
Because of their intelligence and social nature, orca whales are unlikely to attack humans out of aggression or hostility. In fact, there have been numerous instances of orca whales coming to the aid of humans who were in danger, such as when a group of orca whales helped a diver escape from a shark attack.
A pod of orcas has been observed hunting and eating the planet's largest animal – the blue whale – off the coast of Australia. Biologists have published the first observations of orcas hunting and eating an adult blue whale, the largest animal ever to have existed.
Well, it turns out they do. And they fear this black-and-white terror so much it's driving them away from what used to be some of their favorite spots.
In the battle between a megalodon and an orca pod, the orcas would have the advantage.
However, sick or injured killer whales may be weakened or affected by living parasites that are hosts on their bodies. Flukes, roundworms, and tapeworms have all been observed feasting on killer whales as well as fungal and bacterial infections.
Is it safe to swim or dive with Orcas? Yes, however, you have to be very cautious, because they are still wild animals and need attention all the time. Orcas owe their name “killer whale” to the early whalers Because they apparently attacked and killed all other animals, even the largest whales.
Great white sharks, to be exact. But the true ruler of the sea is the killer whale. Killer whales are apex predators, which means they have no natural predators. They hunt in packs, much like wolves, which are also at the top of their food chain.
Saltwater Crocodile: King of the Water - YouTube.
The largest recorded male killer whale was 32 feet in length and weighed 22,000 pounds. The largest recorded female was 28 feet in length and weighed 16,500 pounds. Adult male killer whales are larger than females. Depending on their ecotypes, killer whales' sizes can vary significantly.
A grand banquet
At up to 30 metres long and weighing over 100 tonnes, a blue whale easily outsizes a white shark, which can measure perhaps over 6m and weigh less than a tonne. But the blue whale didn't get so big from killing and eating other large animals such as sharks.
The largest recorded male killer whale was 9.8 m (32 ft.) in length and weighed 10,000 kg (22,000 lbs.) The largest recorded female was 8.5 m (28 ft.) and weighed 7,500 kg (16,500 lbs.).
Toni Frohoff, research director at TerraMar Research, is confident that orcas are not dumb animals. "If anything, since orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family, their intelligence is perhaps superior to other dolphins," she told me.
Whale against Shark Who would win in a fight to the death? Although the great white shark has a fearsome reputation, in a straight fight it is outclassed by the orca.
Orcas are the largest natural threat to sperm whales, though pilot whales and false killer whales are also known to hunt them. Orcas go after entire sperm whale pods and will try to take a calf or even a female, but the male sperm whales are generally too big and aggressive to be hunted.
Fastest marine mammal
In an Olympic sprint, the common dolphin would have some stiff competition, with the orca and Dell's porpoise hot on their heels, reaching maximum speeds of 56 km/h (34.8 mph) and 55 km/h (34.17 mph) respectively.
A wholphin (portmanteau of whale + dolphin) is an extremely rare cetacean hybrid born from a mating of a female common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) with a male false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens).
“Both walruses and polar bears are powerful in the water. Both could handle most potential predators, but not killer whales,” Kovacs said.