A member of the dolphin family with a black back, white belly and white patches near the eyes.
In Antarctica, killer whales have been recorded producing waves while attacking seals on ice.
Killer whales use sound to communicate and find food. Some groups primarily eat fish; others hunt marine mammals. Antarctic observations recorded whales producing waves while attacking a seal on ice, a specific hunting behaviour tied to a particular group and setting.
During a 28-minute observation in Grand Didier Channel on the western Antarctic Peninsula on 15 January 2006, seven type-B killer whales attacked an adult crabeater seal on sea ice. They generated 11 waves in total, breaking up or reducing floes, and continued after the seal reached other ice. Eventually they pulled the seal back from the ice; a whale was later seen carrying part of its body.
US Endangered Species Act (ESA) · Endangered · Southern Resident population, northeast Pacific
Southern Resident killer whales face shortages of salmon, contamination and vessel noise. NOAA works on prey recovery and habitat protection.