The gestation period usually lasts for around 17 months according to SeaWorld. Orcas are extremely fast swimmers and have been recorded at speeds of up to 33.5 mph (54 kph). The adult male's mom may have been his wingman - killer whale moms, being high in family loyalty (and interested in making sure their genetic lineage succeeds), sometimes help their sons in their quest to reproduce, the researchers added. A female killer whale will give birth to one offspring at a time every three to 10 years. Marine biologists from the OrcaLab research station, who witnessed the murder, said the male may have been motivated to kill the calf so that its mother would become available for mating. The aggressor orcas kept the calf for three hours, finally holding it underwater so long that it drowned (killer whales typically surface to breathe every five to 10 minutes). At one point, the adult male's mom even stepped in, blocking the other orca mom from attacking him. The rounded head, indistinct beak, large pointed teeth and prominent upright dorsal fin complete what is considered one of the oceans most impressive mammals.
The adult male grabbed the newborn in his jaws, fighting off attempts by the calf's mother to save it. The Killer Whale is a strikingly marked animal characterised by a body pattern of dramatically contrasting areas of intense black and white. It is the only species in the genus Orcinus. It's not clear how the altercation started, but when researchers arrived, a 32-year-old adult male orca and his mother, about 46 years old, were in pursuit of a family of killer whales, including a newborn calf. The killer whale, or orca, is a carnivorous marine mammal found throughout the world’s oceans. In 2018, scientists reported a strange case of killer whale infanticide between Vancouver Island and Malcolm Island. killer whale, (Orcinus orca), also called orca, largest member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae). (Image credit: Michael Nolan via Getty Images)Īnother baby near Vancouver Island wasn't so lucky.
An adult killer whale and calf surface off the Cumberland Peninsula in Canada.
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