Although they can weigh as much as 18,000 pounds and grow up to be 32 feet, they are very athletic. Killer whales can swim 30 miles per hour and can leap and turn quickly. These talents are what makes them so dangerous. They fear nothing and can chase down almost any sea creature. Calves are born in the water.
Deliveries can be either tail first or head first.
The umbilical cord snaps during or soon after delivery. The calf suckles from the nipples concealed in abdominal mammary slits. Killer Whale calves begin nursing several hours after birth. Calves nurse close to the surface of the water. The mother glides in a horizontal position with her tail arched and the calf swims on its side with it's mouth on the right or left mammary gland.