The Orca is actually categorized as a dolphin, this is because dolphins are a sub-category of a sub-category of whales, that means that all dolphins are whales, but it is necessary to note that not all whales are dolphins. The Orca (or Killer whale), scientifically is a dolphin, the largest of the dolphins.
It is a member of a family called delphinidae (a dolphin family), in this family you will find the bottle-nose, common, and Hector's dolphins, in fact, Hector's dolphin and the Orca are alike.
Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. They have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals (like pinnipeds) and even large whales.
Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviors, which are often specific to a particular group and passed across generations, have been described as manifestations of culture.
The difference between an orca and a whale is that whales have baleen which they use to sieve food into their mouths and an orca and dolphins have teeth.
Questions:
1. How will you classify the Orca; as a whale or as a dolphin? Why?
2. You know about another animal that can be classify in two families?
I would classify the orca as a whale because dolphins are usually small and a orca is big. the difference between a dolphin and a killer whale is that the killer whale eats other mammals and the dolphin eat squid
ReplyDeleteI think that Orcas are actually whales. I think this because I did some research, and I found out that a dolphin’s life span is around 20 years, and a whale’s life span is between 70 and 100 years. After I found this out, I looked up what an Orca’s life span is, and it said between 50 and 80 years. This means that their life span is closer to the life span of other whales. Also, I found out that dolphin’s live in shallow waters, but whales live in deep waters. Orcas can’t really live in shallow waters because they are way too big. Lastly, I found out that dolphins can swim in pods, but they can also swim alone. Orca’s never swim alone and that is why I think that orcas are more like whales.
ReplyDeleteI would still classify the orcas as whales not only because of their size but because of all the other characteristics that this mammal and other whales have in common such as "spyhopping", a behaviour in which a whale holds its head above water to view its surroundings. I still believe that the orca is a whale because of its "whale like" features and the fact that it does not look like a dolphin at all.
ReplyDeleteI would also classify the orcas as whales because it does not look like a dolphin because it is much bigger, and it cant do things a dolphin can do like Emily said. like how orcas are really big and cant live in shallow waters.
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