What do Killer Whales Eat?
Killer Whale Feeding
Killer Whales diet includes fish, squid, seals, sea lions, walruses, birds, sea turtles. otters, penguins,
polar bears, reptiles, sharks, octopus and even smaller whales. However the feeding habits of Killer whales will
depend on the place they are inhabiting at a particular time.
Killer whales eat about 500 pounds of food each day. Therefore, up to 60% of their time can be spent to get
food.
In some odd cases, even land mammals have been found in the stomach of some Killer whales and some occasions Killer
whales have eaten some other killer whales, although this behavior has not been scientifically documented to know
the strange reasons why this could happen.
The complex social structure of Killer whales is used to hunt and get food. Pods are perfectly coordinated to catch
large prey and herding small prey into a controlled area where the pod surrounds the prey and the members of the
pod take turns to eat.
During a technique called herding, a pod of Killer whales surround a group o fish or prey and close the perimeter
to concentrate prey as much as possible. Then individual members take turns to swim through the prey and eat as
much as possible. Confining prey into a small area, help to make each pass through more efficient and eat as fast
as possible, so other members can take their turn.
Killer Whales, easily change their eating habits if they move from one place to another, adapting quickly to the
available food in the region.
For larger prey, Killer whales may not use herding, but they instead use their tail flukes to stun or kill the prey
and then tear it with their large and sharp teeth. However, teeth is not used to chew like us, they use it only to
tear their prey and then they swallow it whole.
After swallowing a prey whole, the stomach of the Killer whale will do his part. In one section of its stomach, it
will crush its food. After this, the other two sections will start the digestion process.
Killer whales drink sea water and their kidneys will remove the salt water, providing the proper amounts of water
to the body.
In resume, Killer whales feeding habits are:
| Fish |
Salmon, Cod, Herring, Hake and Halibut. They eat surface fish as well as
bottom-living fish. |
| Mammals |
Some killer whales eat mammals like seals, sea lions, walruses, baleen whales, other
toothed whales and even sea otters. |
| Birds |
Penguins and seabirds |
| In some places |
Some types of sharks and sea rays. |
| Not frequently |
Polar bears, reptiles and some other killer whales |
 |
 |
|
|
| Impressive video of killer whales hunting sea
lions |
Killer whale attacking a Great White Shark |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|