KILLER. A small carnivorous whale of the genus o•ca. These dolphins are notable for the fact that they are the only cetaceans •hieh habitually attack and devour mammals. On account of their propensity to destroy more ani mals than they can eat, they are widely known as 'killers.' The pains is distinguished from other dolphins by the following charaeteristies: Beak about a: long as head, broad, Ilat, and rounded: teeth about twelve on each side of each jaw, very large and stout, with conieal crowns: pectoral fin very large and ovate, about as broad as long: dorsal fin near middle of back, exeessivel• high, and pointed: vertebne 51 or 52. A full-grown mile is 20 feet long. with a dorsal fin 6 feet high, while the female is somewhat smaller. The surface of the body is smooth and glossy. and is remarkably free from parasites.
Killers are found in all parts of the world, and sometimes swim up rivers in pursuit of their prey, which consists of large fish, seals. dolphins, and even whales. Killers generally go in small schools of a dozen or less, but sometimes larger numbers are seen together. The whales. especially the beluga. are hunted clown and killed by these school-. They seem to be fearless and are said to have stolen captured whales whaling in spite of opposition by the sailors. Killers are
seldom captured by whalers, as they yield very little oil, but in :motile regions they are taken for food, and they are of importance to the Arctic coast trade.
•hp, number of specks of killers is still greatly in doubt. for. in spite of their very wide distribu tion. specific characters are not clearly defined. Not less than eight species have been described, but there is a reasonable possibility that there is only one valid species. The North Atlantic species (O•ra gladiator) has been longest known, but the habits of the North Pacific killers have been more eencrally observed. In color the killers show great variety. though they are usually dark nbove, some being jet-black, and light beneath. Behind the eye is a dear white spot. and there is a ereseent•shaped band back of the dorsal fin, sometimes and soling inies maroon. Smaller indiyi teals, nossibl• diflbrcnt species, arc more or less striped. Consult : Peddard, Book of 'Whales (New York, 1900) : Seammon. llarinr Hammals of the No, h fr.'s/ roast of North America (San Francisco, 1874) and the zo:tlogists cited under ALASKA. See DOLPHIN: WHALE.