How big does a Killer whale get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Killer whale (Orcinus orca) reaches an average size of 8.66 meter (28′ 5″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 100 years, they grow from 158.83 kg (350.16 lbs) to 5629.17 kg (12410.19 lbs). A Killer whale has 1 babies at once. The Killer whale (genus: Orcinus) is a member of the family Delphinidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
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
We found other animals of the Delphinidae family:
- Risso’s dolphin with an average maximal age of 20 years
- False killer whale with an average maximal age of 22 years
- Atlantic white-sided dolphin with a size of 2.29 meter (7′ 6″)
- Peale’s dolphin bringing 120 kilos (264.55 lbs) to the scale
- Pacific white-sided dolphin with a size of 2.21 meter (7′ 3″)
- Atlantic humpback dolphin bringing 100 kilos (220.46 lbs) to the scale
- White-beaked dolphin with a size of 3.05 meter (10′ 1″)
- Short-beaked common dolphin with a size of 2.44 meter (8′ 1″)
- Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin with a size of 2.37 meter (7′ 10″)
- Atlantic spotted dolphin with a size of 2.13 meter (7′ 0″)
Animals with the same size as a Killer whale
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Killer whale:
- Northern bottlenose whale with a size of 8.79 meter (28′ 10″)
- Steller’s sea cow with a size of 7.63 meter (25′ 1″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Killer whale
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Killer whale:
- Argentine brown bat
- Red forest duiker
- Goa (antelope)
- Pagai Island macaque
- Chiapan deer mouse
- Indri
- Maned sloth
- Egyptian fruit bat
- Gould’s long-eared bat
- Malagasy giant rat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Killer whale
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Killer whale:
- Fin whale with an average maximal age of 116 years
- Blue whale with an average maximal age of 110 years
- Humpback whale with an average maximal age of 95 years
- African bush elephant with an average maximal age of 80 years
- Asian elephant with an average maximal age of 80 years
Animals with the same weight as a Killer whale
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Orcinus orca:
- Cuvier’s beaked whale with a weight of 4772.5 kilos (10521.55 lbs)
- Common minke whale with a weight of 5588.55 kilos (12320.63 lbs)
- Gervais’ beaked whale with a weight of 5600 kilos (12345.87 lbs)
- African forest elephant with a weight of 4750 kilos (10471.95 lbs)
- Stejneger’s beaked whale with a weight of 4800 kilos (10582.18 lbs)