Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 69 · Ocean Giants and Reef Life · Page 103 in print
Orca
Orcas live in oceans around the world. Many remain in maternal family groups, with hunting traditions learned from other whales; diets and social arrangements differ among populations.
Jump to a word
An orca leaps clear of the water near Alaska.
Species reference for Orca. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
steve b / iNaturalist (CC0) · CC0 1.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
An orca surfaces amid spray.
Species reference for Orca. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
steve b / iNaturalist (CC0) · CC0 1.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Breaching
Leaping clear of the water.
A Southern Resident killer whale breaches.
Carousel
Killer whales in northern Norway herd herring into a ball in carousel feeding.
Clicks
Killer whales communicate with clicks.
Dialect
Each pod has its own dialect.
Ecotypes
Killer whales come in several distinct ecotypes.
Matriline
A family line traced through mothers.
Killer whales stay with their matrilineal groups.
Orca
The killer whale is also known as the orca.
Orcinus
The killer whale is Orcinus orca.
Pods
Most killer whales live in pods.
Residents
In the northeast Pacific, resident killer whales are fish-eating populations, especially associated with salmon.
Saddle Patch
Killer whales have a saddle patch behind the dorsal fin.
Seals
Transient killer whales eat seals.
Spy-Hopping
Rising upright to look around.
A Southern Resident killer whale spy hopping.
Transients
Also called Bigg’s killer whales, these northeast Pacific populations hunt marine mammals.
Whistles
Killer whales communicate with whistles.
Sources
- Orcinus Orca (source capture)NOAA Fisheries
- Orcinus Orca (source capture)Ecology and Evolution (peer-reviewed article, 2021), full text via Europe PMC
- Orcinus Orca (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology