Jewel # 457 (Oct. 2, 2021)

 

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.”

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

Orca  (or Killer) Whales 

(Part 1)

"God created great whales, and every living creature that moves.” (Genesis 1:21)

In the past, orca whales, which are actually part of the porpoise family, have been referred to as killer whales.  However, research has shown that thy rarely attack whales and have not been known to attack swimmers or boats in the wild.  As a result, the true name of orca is now used.

An adult male will generally be 30 feet long and weigh as much as four to eight tons.  They are the largest and fastest of the porpoise family and can swim up to thirty five miles an hour.  Huge dorsal fins on the backs of males can be as tall as six feet and look like black sails when above water.  The fins of females are about half that size.  The life span for males is 30 to 50 years, going up to 70 years. Females have about the same life expectancy, but they can live as long as 80 or 90 years.

Their colouring is striking—black on top with clear white underside and occasional patches of white in the black areas.  Like other things of God’s creation, no two are exactly alike.  Some live in every ocean, usually where there are cool waters with ample supplies of food, which include fish (especially salmon), seals and even small porpoises.  When food is scarce, they may attack whales 20 times their size, biting into their soft stomachs.  That is how they got the name “killer,” but this rarely happens.

You may have learned about the life and ways of gray whales, with their 12 thousand-mile migrations from Alaska to Mexico and back.  But orca whales do not migrate at all, and their trips are limited to searches for food.  Groups of them have been known to travel as much as 100 miles a day chasing migrating salmon, each adult eating 200 to 385 pounds of fish in the chase.

The groups that have been studied the most are around Vancouver Island in Canada, in Puget Sound waters, and near the islands of Washington State.  Puget Sound is a busy place, and boat operators and residents along the shores see orcas frequently.

While orca communities may have up to 200 orca whales, these include what are known as family pods.  Each pod contains 5 to 50 orcas, all closely related.  Families stay together all of their lives, the males leaving only long enough to mate with females of other pods.  Pods may travel together but do not mix.  Females are at least 12 years old before their first calf is born and then they average another one every six to seven years.  Other pod members help take care of the baby orcas as long as necessary.

In the next message we will look at some of their ways of life.  These are extremely interesting and bring to mind the Bible verse, “Remember God's marvellous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.” (1 Chronicles 16:12).

(to be continued)

Love you all - Grandpa