- Southern Resident Orcas, like Lolita, are an endangered species.
- Female orcas can weigh up to 7,000 pounds and can grow up to 24 feet long.
- Males may weigh up to 9,000 pounds and can grow to be 27 feet long.
- Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family.
- A male orca’s dorsal fin can become up to 7 feet tall, while a female’s dorsal can grow up to 3 feet tall!
- Each orca has 40-56 conically shaped three-inch long teeth in their mouths.
- Each orca has a unique dorsal fin and saddle patch, just like a human fingerprint, used to identify them!
- Orcas can dive 500 feet below the water’s surface and swim at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour.
- Orcas have excellent eyesight above and below the water. They may have brown or blue eyes. (Lolita has blue eyes.)
- Orcas are found in every ocean.
- Orcas have a brain that is five times the size of a human brain. They are very intelligent beings; they solve problems and use tools.
In the Wild:
- Orcas stay with their mothers (and pod) for their entire lives.
- Each family pod has their own unique language.
- Males generally live 40-50 years, while females live 50-80 years.
- Orcas travel an average of 75-100 miles a day.
- Their smooth blubbery skin feels like a wet rubber ball.
- Orcas eat 100-300 pounds of food per day!
- “Resident orcas,” like Lolita, feed only on fish and primarily on salmon. “Transient orcas” consume seals and other marine mammals.
Keiko ("Free Willy") Orca in his pool at the Oregon Aquarium, before he was released.
In Captivity
- No aquarium pool can come close to comparing with the vast and engaging natural habitat of the orca.
- Orca lifespans in captivity are greatly reduced, usually not living past their teen years.
- More than 190 orcas have died due to captivity since 1961, whether in the violent capture process or in the tank itself.
- Their dorsal fins often flop over. The cartilage bends from swimming around in constant tight circles.
- Cetaceans may “go crazy” in captivity due to their own echolocating. Sonar sounds bounce off the tank walls and back at them since there is nothing to absorb it.
- Marine mammals have been known to commit suicide in captivity because of lack of stimuli and depression.
- Captive orcas have attacked and even killed their own trainers, as well as park guests. On the other hand, wild orcas have never harmed a human.
- Lolita is the last surviving orca captured from the Southern Resident Pods. At least 50 other orcas, from the same community, have died in captivity or from the captures.
