Females can reach 17 feet and weigh 2,600 pounds, while the largest males can reach 20 feet and weigh 4,900 pounds.ģ. I t has a slender body with an elongated, tapered head and 44 teeth.Ģ. The false killer whale is black with a gray throat and neck. The world’s fourth-largest dolphin is a different species than the better-known killer whale, but false killer whales ( Pseudorca crassidens) also attack and kill other marine mammals. “Why Is an Orca Not a Whale?” Ocean Conservancy, 13 Mar. “Fun Fact: Killer Wha….” R/NatureIsFuckingLit, 27 June 2022, What Is the Difference Between Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises? – Your Connection to Wildlife. “How to Tell the Difference Between Dolphins and Porpoises.” Ocean Conservancy, 22 Feb. “11 Cool Facts About Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises | NOAA Fisheries.” NOAA,. “Facts about Orcas (Killer Whales).” Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA. Was a Japanese Whaling Crew Eating Alive by Killer Whales?.Is this a Kayaker Paddling Through a Pod of Orca Whales?.
Odontocetes include porpoises, dolphins - and killer whales - as well as other toothed whales like sperm and pilot whales.ĭon’t even get us started on the narwhal. Within the Cetacea order, there are two suborders: odontocetes (toothed whales) and mysticeti (baleen whales). Snopes spoke with Katie Doyle, an outdoor educator with a background in marine biology, who told us that “whale” is a colloquial catch-all for cetaceans.Ĭetaceans include dolphins, whales, and porpoises. Those include dorsal fins, neck vertebrae, the size of brains, social behaviors, communication methodologies, and social group structure. Today, if a dolphin reaches a size of more than 30 feet long, it may be referred to by some as a whale, but the rules of taxonomy still classify the orca as a dolphin,” wrote the Ocean Conservancy.Īside from teeth, size and blowholes, the Canadian Wildlife Federation adds that there are several other biological factors to consider when determining whether an animal is a dolphin or a whale. “While orcas are members of the marine dolphin family Delphinidae, their overall size is what sets them apart from others in their suborder. Their large size may also explain why the black-and-while marine mammals often get confused for whales. Growing to upwards of 30 feet long, orcas are the largest of all dolphin species. Additionally, all baleen whales have two blowholes, whereas toothed whales only have one.”Īs legend holds, sailors who saw orcas preying on other whales gave them the nickname “whale killer” - a name that eventually morphed into “killer whale,” notes the Ocean Conservancy. “As a general rule of thumb, baleen whales are larger and slower (except the fin whale which is known as the ‘greyhound of the sea’) than toothed whales. “The main differences with porpoises are that they are usually smaller than other toothed whales, and instead of cone-shaped teeth they have flat, spade-shaped teeth,” wrote WDC. Toothed whales, also known as odontocetes, include all species of dolphin and porpoise - including killer whales - and have teeth for larger prey, including fish and other marine mammals. Members of this family include all dolphin species, as well as other larger species such as long-finned pilot whales and false killer whales, whose common names also contain ‘whale’ instead of ‘dolphin,’” wrote the NOAA Fisheries in a blog post.īaleen whales, as their name suggests, have baleen plates used to filter food like plankton and small fish. “In fact, they are the largest member of the Delphinidae, or dolphin family. As members of the latter, orcas, Orcinus orca, are more closely related to dolphins than they are to the whales in the first group. The cetacean order comprises two subgroups: baleen whales (including gray whales, right whales, blue whales, etc.) and toothed whales (dolphins, porpoises, sperm whales, beluga whales, etc.). Collectively, both whales and dolphins, as well as their porpoise cousins, are known as cetaceans. Comment from discussion kilroy000’s comment from discussion "🔥Killer whale and dolphin spotted🔥".
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