Hello everyone.
This week's animal of the week is Orca. They are also known as killer whales.
This week's animal of the week is Orca. They are also known as killer whales.
Habitat
Orcas live all over the world. They migrate according to where their prey are.
However they are more common in colder waters.
Diet
Orcas are at the top of the food chain and have very diverse diets, eating
mainly fish but also penguins, and marine mammals such as seals, and even
other whales. They hunt (and live) in groups, making them very dangerous to
certain species.
Dangers
There are a few dangers that they face, although for now the population
doesn't seem to be suffereing. Some of these are:
-Hunting for entertainment as they are intelligent creatures and so appeal to
people who want to test their skills.
-Polluted waters can be a threat as when certain chemicals get into the orca,
most likely from their prey, they can be lethal. These can get into the water
by oil leaks and chemical leeches.
-Prey as overfishing can cause prey to become scarce
-Fisherman see them as a threat as they can intercept the catch and while some
will shoo them away or lure them away by gentle methods, others will shoot
them.
-Lastly a threat it shares with nearly all the creatures in the world:
climate change. The rising sea levels and changing temperatures can affect their prey as
they move to other areas.
Are Orcas dangerous for humans
There have been no fatal attacks on humans in the wild. Four people have been
killed by captive orcas. However it is thought that captive orcas suffer due
to being confined and can therefore become aggressive.
Thank you so much for reading this post. Please remember to pass the blog
address onto anyone who may be interested and to subscribe by email. Thank
you!
Sources:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/orca/
https://www.britannica.com/animal/killer-whale
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/orca/
https://www.britannica.com/animal/killer-whale
Images:
Comments
Post a Comment