Toothed Whales

Killer Whale or Orca

Orcas belong to the dolphin family. Dolphins are known to be harmless, playful and lovable animals, but the Orca is a shrewd hunter.

It is large (up to 9m), swift, and very powerful. It feeds on marine mammals such as walruses and seals and even the calves of other whales. Orcas also feed on fish, squid and marine birds.

It is a highly social whale, living in long lasting family groups or pods of about 30. Both male and female calves tend to stay with their mother for life.

Orcas have a number of surface habits, including skyhopping (rising vertically until their head is above water) and tail and flipper slapping.

Orcas are found in every ocean in the world. They are the most dramatic looking of all whales with black and white skin. In captivity, they have proved to be highly intelligent, curious animals, quite gentle with humans.

Beluga or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

The Beluga is grey at birth but turns completely white when it is about 5 years old. It has a rounded head, a short snout or ‘beak’ and well-defined teeth in its jaws.

Belugas roam the coastal waters of the Arctic, usually in groups of 5 to 10. They sometimes travel long distances up large rivers.

The Beluga's diet consists of crabs, cuttlefish and fish, but it often hunts at depths for bottom-dwelling fish like flounder and halibut.

Because belugas live near coasts and swim up river mouths, they are very vulnerable to water pollution. Toxic substances collect in their blubber and in their milk. The belugas of the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada are badly affected by pollution.