The common name of the animal we chose to learn about is killer whale. Dolphins and whales belong to a family called Cetacea (sit-a-shu). A female killer whale is about 16 to 23 feet tall. Killer whales age the longest of the dolphin family. The body is solid, and their flippers are large and look like paddles. It has 10 to 12 curved teeth.

Diet
Killer whales are predators. People are their only enemy. Their feeding mostly takes place under water. Fish are their primary food. Some killer whales eat salmon during June and July. They also eat seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, squid, walruses, birds, sea turtles, penguins, otters, cetaceans, polar bears, reptiles, moose, and dead killer whales. Killer whales consume about 150 to 300 pounds of food per day! That is a lot of food!

Habitat
Killer whales live in most of the oceans in the world, but most of them live in the Artic Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean. They prefer very cold water. They have also been spotted in areas of warm water such as Hawaii, Australia, and the Galapagos Islands. They live in deep waters. Killer whales migrate because if they run out of food in their area they need to go to other waters to find food.

Babies
Female killer whales start having babies at the age of fourteen and end at age forty. Female killer whales give birth to their babies in 12 to 17 months. A baby killer whale is called a calf. After the baby is born the mother brings it to the surface to breath. A female killer whale can only have one baby at a time. After 30 minutes of being born a baby calf can swim. They like to play and stay close to their mothers just like human babies. At about the age of two a baby whale leaves its mother.

In conclusion, this is some information on killer whales. We hope you have enjoyed this website about killer whales.