THE FOOD WEB
Evidently, the killer whale is at the top of every one of the food chains. As it is a consumer, it cannot provide food/energy for itself, therefore relying on organisms below it on the food chain.The killer whale predominately consumes seals, being it’s only large predator, killer whales are crucial to the stabilisation of seal population.
A common misconception is that killer whales consume krill. As a result of it being a toothed whale rather than a baleen whale (toothless), a killer whales diet mainly consists of mammals such as penguins, seals, otters etc.
Second on the food web are seals and penguins. Both the crabeater seal and Adelie penguin consume krill and other organisms while the elephant seal mainly consumes squid. The leopard seal, the most common seal in the killer whales diet, mainly eats fish. These animals are also classified as consumers but are not at the top of the food chain, therefore are labelled as second level or third level consumers.
As killer whales have no predators other than the human, females can live up to 80 years in the ocean while males will only live about 50. They will usually die because of age, diseases (stomach ulcers, skin diseases, tumors, heart diseases and respiratory) or food shortage. It is a completely different situation for whales kept in captivity at SeaWorld and other marine parks, where the average life expectancy of a whale is a mere 30 years.
A common misconception is that killer whales consume krill. As a result of it being a toothed whale rather than a baleen whale (toothless), a killer whales diet mainly consists of mammals such as penguins, seals, otters etc.
Second on the food web are seals and penguins. Both the crabeater seal and Adelie penguin consume krill and other organisms while the elephant seal mainly consumes squid. The leopard seal, the most common seal in the killer whales diet, mainly eats fish. These animals are also classified as consumers but are not at the top of the food chain, therefore are labelled as second level or third level consumers.
As killer whales have no predators other than the human, females can live up to 80 years in the ocean while males will only live about 50. They will usually die because of age, diseases (stomach ulcers, skin diseases, tumors, heart diseases and respiratory) or food shortage. It is a completely different situation for whales kept in captivity at SeaWorld and other marine parks, where the average life expectancy of a whale is a mere 30 years.