KILLER WHALE, OR ORCA.
BOTTLE-NOSE DOLPHIN. (After Flower.)
THE KILLER WHALE, OR ORCA,[245] is truly the terror of the ocean. Not only Porpoises, White Whales, and Seals spring out of the water and run ashore in fear of it, but the great Sperm Whale and the Greenland Whale stand in deadly awe of its attack. It ranges in size from eighteen to thirty feet long, and its fierceness and voracity are unbounded, as is well shown in an example which came under Eschricht’s observation. From the stomach of this individual he took thirteen Porpoises and fourteen Seals, and the atrocious glutton had been choked in the attempt to swallow a fifteenth! Hollböll saw a herd of White Whales driven into a bay in Greenland where they were literally torn to pieces by these voracious Sea-wolves. Scammon says that three or four do not hesitate to grapple with the largest Baleen Whales; the latter, often paralysed through fear, lie helpless and at their mercy. The Killers, like a pack of hounds, cluster about the animal’s head, “breach” over it, seize it by the lips, and haul the bleeding monster under water; and should the victim open its mouth they eat its tongue. In one instance he relates that a Californian Grey Whale and her young were assaulted; the Orcas killed the latter, and sprang on the mother, tearing away large pieces of flesh which they greedily devoured. These brutes have been known to attack a white-painted herring-boat, mistaking it for a Beluga; and it is stated that occasionally they will boldly lay siege to Whales killed by the whalers, almost dragging them perforce under water. Near some of the Pacific sealing-grounds they continually swim about and swoop off the unwary young; even the large male Sea Lions hastily retreat ashore and give these monsters a wide berth. The Walrus also, with his powerful tusks, cannot keep the Killers at bay, especially if young Morses are in the herd. The cubs on such occasions will mount upon their mother’s back for refuge, clinging for dear life; but the Orca, diving, comes suddenly up with a spiteful thud, and the cub losing its balance falls in the water, when in an instant it is seized by the remorseless Whales. These latter do not restrict themselves in diet solely to their own or the Seal tribe; for Scammon asserts that they even make marauding expeditions up strong-flowing rivers in pursuit of the Salmon and other fishes, a statement corroborated by observers on British coasts. The great swiftness of these creatures is best realised by the fact that they pursue and overtake the quick-swimming Dolphins, literally swallowing them alive. They are not gregarious in the sense of being found in large herds, but follow their prey in small squads. At times they move rapidly near the surface, their great back-fins projecting, or they tumble and roll about, even leaping out of the water and cutting all manner of capers. They have an evenly-rounded head, blunter than the Porpoise’s, the upper jaw a trifle longer than the lower. Their flippers are broad and oval-shaped, and what renders them peculiar and easily recognised is their greatly-lengthened dorsal fin, in some species said to be equal to one-fifth of the whole length of the animal. Though slightly varying in colour, they are usually glossy black above, and white below, the tints sharply defined. Above the eye is a white patch, and occasionally there is a greyish saddle mark on their back. Their capacious mouth is provided with eleven or twelve teeth on each side above and below, and each tooth is most powerful, conical, and slightly recurved.
DOLPHINS PURSUING A BOAT.
THE TRUE DOLPHINS, from which in fact the group Delphinidæ takes its origin, are associated in mythology and poetry to a considerable extent. The car of Amphitrite drawn by these oceanic animals is well known. The COMMON DOLPHIN[246] and the BOTTLE-NOSE DOLPHIN[247] of British coasts are kinds familiar to fishermen and sailors, the former evidently being that known to the ancients. Naturalists have recognised many genera and numerous species of the Dolphin tribe, but into these and their distinctions we shall not enter. If we take the common Dolphin as a representative, it will be seen that the head has a well-marked rostrum or beak, and an abruptly-rounded forehead; the dorsal fin is high, and the flippers of moderate size. When adult they average from six to eight feet in length. Their colour is black above and brilliant white beneath; though many of the species of Dolphins are parti-coloured, white predominating. The teeth vary in number from forty to fifty on each side, above and below—that is, from 160 to 200 in all. They feed on fish, medusæ, and crustaceans; and they congregate in great herds, never being seen alone. This species inhabits the North Sea, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean; but the different genera and species of the Dolphins have a wide range over the seas of the warmer and of the temperate zones; some even ascending rivers after their prey. As a group their habits are considerably alike, and they are all excessively playful and active, and seem to delight in gambolling around vessels,
“Or dive below, or on the surface leap,
And spout the waves, and wanton in the deep.”
