Sounds associated with foraging and prey capture in individual fish-eating killer whales, Orcinus orca

2019 ◽  
Vol 146 (5) ◽  
pp. 3475-3486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marla M. Holt ◽  
M. Bradley Hanson ◽  
Candice K. Emmons ◽  
David K. Haas ◽  
Deborah A. Giles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Individual Fish

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on schooling herring (Clupea harengus) using underwater tail-slaps: kinematic analyses of field observations

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Domenici ◽  
R.S. Batty ◽  
T. Simila ◽  
E. Ogam
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Maximum Acceleration ◽  
Maximum Angle

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on herring (Clupea harengus) in a fjord in northern Norway were observed using underwater video. The whales cooperatively herded herring into tight schools close to the surface. During herding and feeding, killer whales swam around and under a school of herring, periodically lunging at it and stunning the herring by slapping them with the underside of their flukes while completely submerged. The kinematics of tail-slapping were analysed in detail. Tail-slaps were made up of a biphasic behaviour consisting of two phases with opposite angles of attack, a preparatory phase (negative angles of attack) and a slap phase (positive angles of attack). During the slap phase, the mean maximum angle of attack of the flukes was 47 degrees. The maximum speed of the flukes, measured at the notch, increased with whale length (L(w)) and was 2.2 L(w)s(−)(1), while the maximum acceleration of the flukes was size-independent and was 48 m s(−)(2). When killer whales slapped the herring successfully, disoriented herring appeared on the video at approximately the time of maximum fluke velocity, in synchrony with a loud noise. This noise was not heard when the tail-slaps ‘missed’ the target, suggesting that the herring were stunned by physical contact. Killer whales then ate the stunned herring one by one. Of the tail-slaps observed, 61 % were preceded by lunges into the school. We suggest that lunging was aimed at directing the school rather than at capturing the herring, since it occurred at a relatively low speed and there were no observations of the killer whales attempting to capture the herring during lunging behaviour. Given the high performance of the tail-slaps in terms of speed and acceleration, we suggest that tail-slapping by killer whales is a more efficient strategy of prey capture than whole-body attacks, since acceleration and manoeuvrability are likely to be poor in such large vertebrates.

Behavioral ecology of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Pacific Northwest

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 565-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Heimlich-Boran
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Behavioral Ecology ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior ◽  
Physiographic Regions

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) were found to use different physiographic regions of their habitat in unique ways. Resident whales fed more in areas of high relief subsurface topography along salmon migratory routes, and may use these geographic features to increase feeding efficiency. Transient whales fed in shallow protected areas around concentrations of their prey, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Whales traveled across deep, featureless areas in moving from one feeding area to another. Whales rested depending on the previous sequence of behaviors and played in open water areas or adjacent to feeding areas. The location of food resources and habitats suitable for prey capture appears to be the prime determining factor in the behavioral ecology of these whales. These patterns of behavior most likely represent cultural mechanisms that have been learned through trial and error experiences leading to successful foraging strategies.

scholarly journals Vessels and their sounds reduce prey capture effort by endangered killer whales (Orcinus orca)

2021 ◽  
pp. 105429
Author(s):  
Marla M. Holt ◽  
Jennifer B. Tennessen ◽  
M. Bradley Hanson ◽  
Candice K. Emmons ◽  
Deborah A. Giles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales

Personality in captive killer whales (Orcinus orca): A rating approach based on the five-factor model.

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulán Úbeda ◽  
Sara Ortín ◽  
Judy St. Leger ◽  
Miquel Llorente ◽  
Javier Almunia
Keyword(s):  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales

Depredation by Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) on a Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) in Northeastern Atlantic

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 478-482
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Mucientes ◽  
Adriana González-Pestana
Keyword(s):  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Blue Shark ◽  
Prionace Glauca ◽  
Northeastern Atlantic

scholarly journals Family feud: permanent group splitting in a highly philopatric mammal, the killer whale (Orcinus orca)

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva H. Stredulinsky ◽  
Chris T. Darimont ◽  
Lance Barrett-Lennard ◽  
Graeme M. Ellis ◽  
John K. B. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Killer Whale ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Leadership Experience

Abstract For animals that tend to remain with their natal group rather than individually disperse, group sizes may become too large to benefit individual fitness. In such cases, group splitting (or fission) allows philopatric animals to form more optimal group sizes without sacrificing all familiar social relationships. Although permanent group splitting is observed in many mammals, it occurs relatively infrequently. Here, we use combined generalized modeling and machine learning approaches to provide a comprehensive examination of group splitting in a population of killer whales (Orcinus orca) that occurred over three decades. Fission occurred both along and across maternal lines, where animals dispersed in parallel with their closest maternal kin. Group splitting was more common: (1) in larger natal groups, (2) when the common maternal ancestor was no longer alive, and (3) among groups with greater substructuring. The death of a matriarch did not appear to immediately trigger splitting. Our data suggest intragroup competition for food, leadership experience and kinship are important factors that influence group splitting in this population. Our approach provides a foundation for future studies to examine the dynamics and consequences of matrilineal fission in killer whales and other taxa. Significance statement Group living among mammals often involves long-term social affiliation, strengthened by kinship and cooperative behaviours. As such, changes in group membership may have significant consequences for individuals’ fitness and a population’s genetic structure. Permanent group splitting is a complex and relatively rare phenomenon that has yet to be examined in detail in killer whales. In the context of a growing population, in which offspring of both sexes remain with their mothers for life, we provide the first in-depth examination of group splitting in killer whales, where splitting occurs both along and across maternal lines. We also undertake the first comprehensive assessment of how killer whale intragroup cohesion is influenced by both external and internal factors, including group structure, population and group demography, and resource abundance.

scholarly journals Evaluating potential infectious disease threats for southern resident killer whales, Orcinus orca: a model for endangered species

2004 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph K. Gaydos ◽  
Kenneth C. Balcomb ◽  
Richard W. Osborne ◽  
Leslie Dierauf
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales

Soundscapes experienced by southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Salish Sea and implications of vessel noise

2021 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. A251-A251
Author(s):  
Rianna Burnham ◽  
Svein Vagle ◽  
Pramod Thupaki ◽  
Caitlin O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Salish Sea ◽  
Vessel Noise
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