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Article: Icky intestines.(Gross out)(killer whale)
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- March 28, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Biologist and wildlife photographer Todd Pusser got quite an eyeful when he motored up in his boat to this marine "crime scene." In California's Monterey Bay last spring, Pusser snapped a photo of a killer whale, or Orcinus orca (OR-sin-uhs OR-kuh), gliding along next to the intestines from its recent kill--a gray-whale calf (young).
Does Pusser's snapshot represent typical orca behavior? For some orcas, the answer is yes. Scientists have identified three orca groups in the North Pacific Ocean: residents, offshores, and roaming transients. The residents and offshore orcas keep to well-defined home ranges and feed mainly on fish. "Transients specialize in feeding ...