A group of tourists was surprised two days ago when they observed several killer whales hunting in the Pacific waters of Costa Rica. The phenomenon occurred in the Cabo Blanco sector, on the Nicoya peninsula. This was confirmed by Cleiver Zamora, who recorded the curious event.
Ángel Herrera, director of the School of Marine Biology at the National University, commented that the sighting of killer whales is common in our waters at this time. The specialist explained that Orcas and other whales, such as humpbacks or blue whales, usually come down from cold waters off the coasts of Canada and the United States to ours, which are warmer. This by virtue of the boreal winter.
It is not surprising that there are also Orca sightings in November, December and February, from Mexico to Panama. They have also been seen near Cocos Island. In our waters they not only come to hunt, but also to mate and give birth.
About Orcas
The Costa Rican Fisheries Federation detailed relevant aspects of this enormous mammal: Orcas are cetaceans that can reach an average length of 6 to 8 meters for males, and 5 to 7 meters for females. It can gain a weight of up to 6 tons (5,443 kg). The largest males on record weighed 10,000 kg. A female Orca averages between 1,361 and 3,628 kg.
They normally eat fish, squid, whales, sharks, seals, octopus, sea turtles, gulls and penguins, fish, marine mammals, birds, and sea turtles. Killer whales have powerful teeth that are about three inches long and one inch in diameter. An Orca can eat around 550 pounds of food every day and can take a trip of several hundred miles to obtain seasonal prey.
The average life of Orca whales in the wild is 50-80 years. The Orca whale’s breeding period varies from winter to early spring and is normally done in warm waters. The gestation period is 16-17 months. One of the physical attributes of an Orca is its black back with the chest and sides that are white. They also have a small white patch on the top of the eyes, as well as behind the eyes.
