Orca in Antarctica
Orca are badarse and by far one of my favourite marine mammals to interact with around the world. They are cunning, intelligent and incredibly curious when it comes to humans whether you are on a boat/ship, kayaks or simply in the water swimming. Yet despite their potential harm they could very easily cause humans they never show any aggression in the wild. Captivity is another question where numerous aggressive behaviour has been observed towards humans - even numerous fatalities.
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In Antarctica they can be quite difficult to find some days - of course there are certain areas where you have a greater chance of sighting them but there is never any guarantee. The main orca I was lucky enough to encounter the most was the Small Type B Orca aka Gerlache Killer Whales.
Typically a two toned grey coloured orca with a diatom coating, which is what gives it a slight yellow tinge. This orca primarily feeds on a variety of animals ranging from fish, penguins, seals and they have been seen harassing humpback whale calves. I actually got to watch this from a distance, as the ship cruised in the Bransfield Strait. I wanted to get closer in order to observe this behaviour however, know how stressful that situation would be for all animals involved my Expedition Leader decided to maintain our course and not interfere with the hunt. It was the right call but apart of me really would have liked to get closer...
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At the end of the day just to have an orca encounter whilst on an expedition trip to the peninsula you are lucky whether it be from the ship or on a small zodiac cruise. It definitely makes my day or to be more accurate makes the entire expedition for me. I am by far grateful for the orca encounters I have had the past few months in the Southern Ocean. I hope you all enjoy my posts about them and the accompanying photographs.
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All stories & photographs are of my own work unless noted under the picture in question.
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Antarctic Killer Whale Ecology
The killer whale (Orcinus orca) is the top ocean predator and perhaps the most extensive vertebrate on earth, occurring in all the oceans of the world. Although currently considered a species worldwide, our research in Antarctic waters has revealed that there are at least four different forms of killer whales, called types A, B, C and D. Little is known about the earlier Type D Links is a link to a non-Federal government website. Click to review NOAA Fishing disclaimer. which are rarely seen in inaccessible subantarctic waters, but other forms seem to represent a distinct "ecotype" that occurs simultaneously in Antarctica, with different prey specialties in minke whales, ice seals and fish. Our last genetic work shows that this may represent at least three different species.
Thanks for sharing you nice Orca photos. I thought it's a plant haha now I know it'a a mammal :)
Wow,this is beautiful,never heard of such animal before till now,nice photos .
Orcas are amazing! You so lucky to be able to see them. I love them so much and is a dream of mine to one day sea them ever since I watched free Willy lol
In contrast to baleen whales, orcas or killer whales are 'toothed' whales, with real teeth rather than fibrous plates for screening. They capture single prey, ranging from fish, squid, penguins, seals, dolphins, swans, and even whales, including the largest whales among the blue whales.
Usually black and white, in Antarctic waters their skin is covered with a plankton film called a diatom, which gives them a brownish and yellowish color.
The male orca (9.75 m) grows significantly larger than the female (8.5 m). Adult males are obvious because of their very high dorsal fins.
Distribution
Orca whales are found almost everywhere in all the oceans of the earth.
Previously thought to live on the outer fringes of ice packs, now we know that they can live deep in ice, even in winter.
It is also thought they migrated from Antarctica in the winter, but there are some rare sightings in ice packs in the heart of winter. Furthermore, small calves have been seen in the middle of winter, indicating that orcas are the only species of whales that breed in Antarctic waters.
They are common in Antarctic waters, with an estimated population of about 70,000.