Orca whales are apex predators found in almost all oceans. Despite being commonly referred to as "whales," they actually belong to the Delphinidae family, closely related to dolphins. Their hunting instincts are passed down through generations, including knowledge of prey species. Although called "killer whales," they primarily prey on other animals and are not aggressive toward humans in the wild. The killer whale (Orcinus orca) is classified as one of the sea dolphins in the order Cetacea, making it related to other whale species.
The orca whale gets its name due to its large size, similar to that of the more commonly known whales. Orcas can grow up to 8–10 meters in length and weigh between 3,600 and 5,400 kilograms. Their dorsal fins can reach up to 1.8 meters in height, with an adult tail length of around 9.8 meters. These whales have a distinctive black-and-white body pattern, with white patches on the ventral side. As predators, orcas possess 10–13 pairs of large, sharp teeth (enamel) in both the upper and lower jaws, totaling 40–52 teeth. Orcas reach reproductive maturity at around 10 years of age, but their optimal reproductive period is at 20 years old. In the wild, orcas can live up to 40 years.
Orca whales are highly adaptive and can breed in almost any ocean, from the frozen waters of the Arctic and Antarctic to the warm waters of the equator. The appearance of killer whales in Indonesian waters is a common occurrence because these waters serve as a migration route for them. They migrate following changes in sea temperature to find food.
In Indonesia, colonies of killer whales are often seen in the waters of Gorontalo, Tomini Bay, Bali, East Kalimantan, Maluku, Raja Ampat, Nusa Tenggara (Solor Strait/Sawu Sea), and Timor. Due to their wide distribution across different regions, these animals are known by various local names. They are popularly referred to as "Paupausu" in Gorontalo, while in Lamalera, they are commonly known as "Seguni."
Orca whales are highly intelligent mammals with a strong sense of social structure and distinctive behavior. Some orcas live in pods (stable matrilineal groups), which can consist of 40–100 individuals. Within each pod, orcas are divided into clans or families, each with its own unique communication language. Orcas use echolocation, a technique that involves sending out sounds that travel through the water and bounce back as echoes, to find and identify objects. This method is also used for communication within their group, even over long distances, and serves as an advanced tool for hunting prey. These skills are passed down through generations, forming an essential part of their animal culture.
Orcas hunt in well-coordinated groups, often comprising large families of up to 40 members. There are both resident and nomadic pods, each with different prey preferences and hunting strategies. Resident pods generally target fish as their main prey, while nomadic pods often hunt marine mammals such as seals, bottlenose dolphins, baleen whales, and even adult whales. Both types of pods exhibit highly efficient and synergistic hunting tactics, often compared to those of wolves.
As a cosmopolitan species, orcas can be found in all the world's oceans and in various marine environments, from the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic to tropical waters. The IUCN has assessed the conservation status of orcas in certain local populations, which are considered threatened or endangered due to factors such as prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution (e.g., from PCBs), capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with human fisheries.
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