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Animal Age

How old does a Killer whale get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Killer whale reaches?

An adult Killer whale (Orcinus orca) usually gets as old as 100 years.

Killer whales are around 453 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 158.83 kg (350.16 lbs) and measure 2.37 meter (7′ 10″). As a member of the Delphinidae family (genus: Orcinus), their offspring is 1 babies per pregnancy. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 8.66 meter (28′ 5″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A Killer whale gets as old as 100 years

The killer whale, or orca (Orcinus orca), is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. Killer whales have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and other species of dolphin. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, as no animal preys on them. A cosmopolitan species, they can be found in each of the world’s oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas, absent only from the Baltic and Black seas, and some areas of the Arctic Ocean.Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which are often specific to a particular group and passed across generations, have been described as manifestations of animal culture.The International Union for Conservation of Nature assesses the orca’s conservation status as data deficient because of the likelihood that two or more killer whale types are separate species. Some local populations are considered threatened or endangered due to prey depletion, habitat loss, pollution (by PCBs), capture for marine mammal parks, and conflicts with human fisheries. In late 2005, the southern resident killer whales, which swim in British Columbia and Washington state waters, were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species list.Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans, but there have been cases of captive orcas killing or injuring their handlers at marine theme parks. Killer whales feature strongly in the mythologies of indigenous cultures, with their reputation ranging from being the souls of humans to merciless killers.

Animals of the same family as a Killer whale

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Delphinidae):

Animals that reach the same age as Killer whale

With an average age of 100 years, Killer whale are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies Killer whale

The same number of babies at once (1) are born by:

Weighting as much as Killer whale

A fully grown Killer whale reaches around 5629.17 kg (12410.19 lbs). So do these animals:

Animals as big as a Killer whale

Those animals grow as big as a Killer whale: