Orca
It's hard to miss their distinctive black-and-white markings, especially the white, oval-shaped patch located near each eye. Pound for pound, a human is no match for a killer whale, since this big beast grows up to 32 feet long (9.75 meters) and 12,000 lbs. (5,443 kilograms). That's roughly 600 times the size of a grown man. Orcas aren't classified as whales. Rather, Orcinus orca belongs to the dolphin family (Delphinidae) and is the largest of all dolphins. Something else may surprise you -- killer whales don't hunt humans. Killer whales' reputation as fierce hunters comes in part because they frequently target other marine animals, regardless of size. Orcas commonly eat whatever's convenient -- seals, sea lions, squid, fish, birds, whales and dolphins. The large and notorious as great white shark is also on the Orcas' menu. Orcas hunt in groups known as pods. Up to 30 or 40 orcas can be in a typical large pod, but scientists have recorded pods of up to 100. Pods use sophisticated hunting tactics that reflect of the orcas' creativity and intelligence.They also utilize echolocation - producing sounds or sonar clicks that are reflected back when they strike an object -- to find their prey, a pod of killer whales works together to feed. In one technique, known as carousel fishing, orcas surround a school of fish and spew out bubbles or hit them with their tails to distract and disable them. Another clever hunting technique is where Orcas literally jump out of the water and may even temporarily beach themselves just to coax seals into the water. In cold climates, Orcas hit floating chunks of ice where animals are resting, knocking them into the sea. They'll also attempt to create waves to force their prey off of ice floes and vomit up partially eaten fish in order to attract a meal of seabirds. In all of these examples, Orcas display ingenuity, creativity and opportunism in addition to their natural role as "Wolves of the Sea"
