Killer whales, the largest members of the dolphin family, are found in every ocean of the world. They are at the top of the marine mammal hierarchy in both intelligence and the food chain. Highly social creatures, Orcas travel in family groups called pods. The average size of a pod is 5 to 20 individuals and can be as large as 45 whales. The females will eventually leave the pod to form their own groups.
Orcas have a long life span.
The average life expectancy for males is 29.2 years, with some living well into their 50s. Females live into their 80s. Births are, on average, one calf every ten years, with newborns reaching lengths of 2.5 meters. Each killer whale pod communicates using their own unique dialogue of whistles, clicks and shrieks. Orcas also use echolocation, a type of sonar, to locate their prey.