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1. Size matters Orcas, aka Killer Whales, are the largest of all the dolphin family, not the whale family as the name suggests. They can weigh up to six tonnes and grow to be around the length of a bus at 7-10m long. Orcas have 40 to 50 teeth that are approx 7.6cm long. There are many different species of Orcas including Offshore, Transient and Resident and they all vary in size depending on the which prey they eat. 2. It’s all in the name The name killer whale comes from their original name 'whale killers' given to them by sailors who saw them hunting other whales. The name orcas “asesina ballenas”, or 'whale killer' was eventually flipped around to the easier 'killer whale'. 3. Orcas can be found in every ocean on the earth Orcas inhabit all oceans of the world. They are the most widely distributed mammal second only to humans and possibly the brown rat! They are mostly found in the colder water like the Pacific Northwest, Northern Norway in the Atlantic and also in the higher parts of the Southern Ocean. Orcas have also been found in temperate waters such as South Africa and New Zealand while being observed in warm water areas like Australia, Hawaii, Bahamas, The Galapagos and even the Gulf of Mexico. 4. Orcas are mammals that have evolved based on culture and are the only ones! (besides humans that is) Orcas have developed complex defined cultures based on behaviours that they have learnt. Scientists have found that the Orcas culture has shaped how they eat, how they hunt, how they have fun and who they chose to mate with. It was believed that only humans have this ability and so this new understanding has been significant in orca studies. Orcas also have excellent communicative skills using distinctive calls and whistles. In the wild they live 60 years or more, and they stay in tight knit matrilineal groups. Orca family units are led by a matriarch and she will be instrumental in teaching specific behaviours to her offspring. 5. Orcas go through menopause! Three species experience menopause. They are humans, short finned pilot whales and orcas. Orca females stop reproducing around 40 and can live to 90, whereas males tend to live around 50-60 years. What reason do females orcas give up the critically important process of reproduction in middle age just like nearly every other animal in the kingdom? Theory one “the granny effect”: It was said that its possible older females experience so that they are able to devote themselves to both the rearing of children and teaching the generations important life skills. This means that grandma orcas can still pass on their genes and genetic legacy as they are able to focus their attention on the survival of their families rather than on birthing more offspring. Theory two (and said to be a more accurate hypothesis) Middle aged Orca Mums approaching menopause were observed. It became evident that mother whales suffer much higher costs when competing to reproduce with their offspring once they become young mothers. When older mothers did have offspring, the offspring were 1.7 times more likely to die than those of younger mum Orcas. It can now be assumed that older female Orcas at the age of around 40 experience menopause as they are in direct competition over resources with their own daughters! 6. Most males never leave their mothers Using 36 years of data on Orcas in the Pacific Northwest, the researchers found that for males over 3, the death of a mother meant an eightfold increase in the likelihood of death within a year. Orcas stick with their mothers their entire lives. Dr. Foster suspects that mothers help sons with foraging or offer protection in encounters with other males. Among female orcas over 30, there was only about a threefold increase in the likelihood of death in the year after a mother’s death. “It makes more sense for the mothers to invest more in their sons, because there is no increased burden on the family group,” Dr. Foster said. “Children of sons move on to new family groups.” https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/science/orca-mothers-coddle-adult-sons-study-finds.html 7. Orcas have the 2nd heaviest brain among marine mammals Orca’s brains come in a close second to the brain of a sperm whale. Weighing on average 7.8kg, they have amazing well wired and complex brains. The size of their brain has evolved so that they can navigate the underwater world they live in by using sound and also be able to successfully communicate with each other. 8. Female Orcas gives birth to 1 calf every five years, and averages 5 calves a lifetime Female Orcas have a gestation period of between 15 and 18 months and give birth every three to ten years. Most calves are born in winter and nurse for up to two years. Calves are born with a floppy dorsal fin and tail and are black and peachy-orange in colour, they're not born black and white. As they gradually grow adding more blubber to their bodies, their colour changes to the distinct black and white that we associate orcas with. Newborn calves weigh 136 to 181 kg and can weigh up to half a tonne and reach over 3m at 6months of age. 9. Orcas cannot smell It’s believed that Orcas are unable to smell due to the fact they don’t have smelling organs or a lobe of the brain that is dedicated to smell. They spend so much time underwater that they have very little use for this sense. They do however have excellent hearing and excellent sight. Orcas are able to use their excellent sense of hearing to practice echolocation. They use echolocation to distinguish where objects and animals are in relation to them. For example, echolocation is used to help orcas locate prey when hunting and also to navigate their way around in the dark or murky waters. Orcas produce sounds like squeals and clicks and then listen to the echoes. 10. They can sleep with one eye open Orcas don’t really ever sleep -well not like humans do anyway. Orcas sleep or rest while still keeping an awareness of what is around them. If the left eye is closed, their right brain will remain active and vice versa. All dolphins will have this ability as they need to go to the surface continually to breathe, they also need to be somewhat aware should any predators be near and so they sleep using only half of their brain. If you would like to know more about the life of Orcas, or even have the opportunity to snorkel with these beautiful mammals in Norway please get in contact with us! www.majesticwhaleencounters.com.au

1. Plastic Ocean Globally over 100,000 whales, dolphins, seals, porpoises and Sirenia die annually as a result of plastic in our oceans. Whales and dolphins can easily ingest plastic. This can be directly through mistaken identity for prey or through the prey that they eat who have ingested the plastic previously. A sperm whale was stranded in Indonesia and its necropsy revealed that it had ingested over 13 pounds of plastic, including bags and thongs. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/dead-sperm-whale-filled-with-plastic-trash-indonesia/ Over 60% of beached whales found been found to have both plastics and micro-plastics inside them meaning over half of the population is at risk form plastic pollutants. The ingested plastic causes major problems, disrupting their reproductive and developmental processes. This also making them unable to fight off diseases and illnesses. The toxins absorbed are almost impossible for the animal to metabolise. Micro plastics (pieces smaller than 5mm) have also become a major threat to marine life particularly the baleen whales who take huge gulps of seawater during filter feeding. Items found to be the most deadly to marine life include: Plastic bags Balloons Ropes Rubber Fishing debris Small things we can all do to help: Avoid single use plastics where possible Regular beach clean ups in your community Education Reuse, recycle and Reduce the use of chemicals and products containing micro-beads. 2. Noise Ocean noise can include ship traffic, sonar and now seismic testing (air gun blasts for gas and oil exploration). These noises can disrupt whales migration, breeding, communication and navigation. They can also be very physically harmful to whales impairing their hearing, brain haemorrhaging and the drowning out of communication sounds important for survival. In some circumstances ocean noise can result in death. Seismic Testing involves blasting the seafloor with high-powered airguns every 10 seconds and measuring the echoes with long tubes to map offshore oil and gas reserves. These blasts disturb, injure and kill marine wildlife around the clock for years on end. The deafening sound is between 200 and 240 decibels and can travel for around 3000km at a low frequency affecting mostly the larger species of marine mammals such as the great whales because of the lower frequency. Shipping Noise happens with increased shipping. Increased ocean noise presents obstacles for whales on migrations and within feeding grounds. Whales rely on their hearing and sonar to find and hunt food. Sound travels more than 4 times faster in water than in air. Ships produce noise at approximately 175 decibels and this noise often overlaps with the whales frequencies which in turn greatly affects their ability to navigate, reproduce and feed. Whales also experience high levels of stress which can be detrimental in many ways. Sonar: low-rolling sound waves topping out at around 235 decibels; the world’s loudest rock bands top out at only 130. These sound waves can travel for hundreds of miles under water and can retain an intensity of 140 decibels as far as 300 miles from their source. Submarine sonar exercises have been linked to several high-profile mass strandings. There have been at least 12 beaked whale mass stranding events (involving two or more individuals) that coincided with naval exercises. Research has shown that Beaked whales cease vocalising and foraging for food in the area where mid frequency sonar is being used. Beaked whales are deep diving animals who dive to the bottom of the ocean to feed. Sadly when exposed to sonar the beaked whale becomes stressed and tries to swim away from the sound too quickly towards the surface causing the whale to effectively have ‘the bends’ otherwise known as decompression sickness. The bends occurs when nitrogen bubbles get into the bloodstream often causing haemorrhaging and damage to vital organs.