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Children's
Section
Animal Corner
Amanda Hernández
Our Lady of Angels School
The Orcinus Orca, better
known as an orca or killer whale looks like a fish but is actually a
mammal that breathes air. Killer
whales exist in all the oceans of the world.
They can grow as big as 15 to 30 feet in length and can weigh up to
ten tons. These whales can
swim as fast as 30 miles per hour.
Orcas are opportunistic eaters,
this means that they eat whatever kind of food that is around them.
They are known to eat fish, squid, seals, sea lions, penguins, and
even other whales. These
whales do not chew their food. Instead,
they swallow their food whole or tear it into large chunks.
Scientists can tell the age of a
killer whale by looking at its teeth.
Since these whales develop growth layers on their teeth, scientists
take a cross-section of a whale’s tooth and count the growth layers it
has in order to estimate its age. By
this process, scientists have discovered that killer whales can live up to
35 years.
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