asomeone commissioned a Wholesome Post, so here are some wholesome facts about Orcas aka Killer Whales! look at this smiling face
Fact 1: Orcas live their entire lives with their moms!
Orcas have incredibly complex social structures, comparable only to elephants and higher primates. at the root of orca societies is the matriline–the family group consisting of the eldest female, her daughters and sons, and her daughters’ offspring, and their daughters’ offspring, and so on. Orcas spend their entire lives with their mom and siblings. In fact…
Fact 2: And with their grandmas!
…because they can reach the age of 90, a family group can consist of four generations of orcas living and travelling together!
Fact 3: They have language–and speak in dialects!
Orca vocalizations come in different dialects–because they aren’t just sounds, they’re language! Different groups use language differently, and they pass down these dialects to their kids. in fact…
Fact 4: They learn and pass down knowledge
Both language & complicated behaviors such as hunting techniques get passed down through generations. The communication of knowledge between generations is so complex that it “appears to have no parallel outside humans.” And for the skeptics who don’t think whale vocalization counts as language:
Fact 5: Orcas speak English too!
ok i’m exaggerating. or am I? A 16-year-old orca named Wikie has recently learned to speak a few words, including ‘hello’, ‘good-bye’, and ‘one, two, three’
Everyone tell Wikie she did a good job! She’s working with a trainer who hopes they can one day having rudimentary conversations together. This is in contrast to that one beluga whale who taught themselves to speak just so they could tell divers to fuck off.
and finally, because this is my blog and I get to decide what counts as wholesome:
Fact 6: THEY HUNT MOOSE! KILLER WHALES ARE A NATURAL PREDATOR OF THE MOOSE! THEY HUNT & EAT MOOSES!
Moose are really good divers and apparently they spend enough time underwater that orcas pose a slim but deadly threat. Orcas also occasionally eat dear, and sea birds. Orcas are an apex predator, they can eat basically anything they want, including sharks, squids, and other marine mammals like elephant seals & otters. Top of the food chain baby! This probably feels pretty wholesome to orcas, who don’t have to worry about being attacked by something lower in the pecking order. On that note, have a pic of a baby orca, who has no natural predators and has just learned to breach!
That’s a very happy, very baby orca.
