Endangered Killer Whales

Killer whales' calves are black and orange in color and weigh approximately 400 to 500 pounds. As they mature, they attain a lustrous black and white appearance. A length of 27 feet and a weight of 11 tons is the average body statistics of an adult male; while for the female it's 23 feet and 8 tons. Evidently the Arctic and the Antarctic regions are mainly the dwelling places of the killer whales.

Region and Habitat
Other than the Arctic and the Antarctic, killer whales have also shown evidence of its habitat in freshwater too. Not only the cold waters of the polar regions, but the warmer waters located in the tropical regions also have been inhabited by these creatures. They have a classification of their habitat in three different modes of living. Some of them live offshore, while some are transient if food is available for survival and some have permanent homes or dwellings.

Canada, Alaska and the coast of California attract people who would love to get a glimpse of the mammal with large pods of them moving along, hunting or traveling. Due to their diversified and dynamic movement, the estimation of their numbers is not an easy task for researchers. An approximate figure of 300 killer whales have been known to be in the Bering Sea, Alaska shows a record of 250 and the largest number of about 180,000 belongs to the Antarctic region. After humans this is the only species which has such a diversified and variation oriented distribution.

Reproduction
Males reach sexual maturity between 15 and 21 years of age. For females the age is 15. Records show that females produce 4 to 6 surviving off-springs in her life. They can continue this process until they are 40. This fact about the creature becomes more important when it comes to their conservation. The male whales are polygamous (they mate with any number of partners) and prefer mating with those from different pods to prevent interbreeding. Summer is the ideal time for the breeding to happen, however it can also take place in any season of the year.

Defense Mechanisms
Killer whales occupy the top position in the food chain of sea animals. Their massive size and ferocious predating skills equip them for their own defense. There are hardly any incidents of a killer whale getting attacked by other predators. They have the reputation of devouring any sea mammal, even polar bears and smaller whales. The main key to their defense is that they always stay in a pod or pack. So the answer to the question as to how these sea wolves (as they are popularly known as) protect themselves lies in the fact that they do not fear any attack as they are the ones who have all the qualities and mechanisms to be a perfect killing machine.

Endangerment and Conservation
Although killer whales have not been regarded as a completely endangered species, its population in certain areas are in a major threat of getting so. (The U.S Endangered Species group list has included the "southern resident killer whales" in its list as endangered). Their numbers are experiencing a downfall owing to the human as well as the environmental actions, which are inevitable at many a times. With respect to their huge diet and various food types, it is necessary that there should be an abundant supply of food, which otherwise can further push their numbers of getting endangered. Salmons are considered to be the mammal's main food sources. However, its number is dwindling as a food supply due to overfishing. The ill-effects of the shortage in food is that some of their species cannot adapt to other food sources and this results in zero reproduction. This is true for certain locations which has witnessed the rapid decrease in their population.

Underwater noise is also a concern arising due to whale watching. This activity invites a constant bevy of boats which produces the noise. As this species is a vocal one, the noise could be detrimental to its well-being and turn out to be a bigger issue in the end. Another major threat to their population is the Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs). This organic compound acts a potent poison in their body; the concerned areas are the coast of Washington and the region of Norwegian Arctic. Although hunting these giants for sport or their products have been stopped, it is still a contributing factor for the falling figures. Conservation is a difficult task to implement as there are no specific areas where these giants dwell for a significant period. Thus this makes the task of getting any particular area to bring under conservation or protection, difficult.

The killer whales have not been totally enveloped in the list of endangered list of species. Although the conservation and protection part is not an easy task to achieve, researchers are in the process of providing a further look into tracing their destinations and their habitats so as to save them from getting extinct altogether. We can also do our bit in the conservation so that after many years form now the future generation would not have to learn about and see the killer whales only in stories or fictions.