Orca

"Known as Wolves of the Sea and for good reason. Orca, also known as killer whales, though they in fact are not whales, hunt in pods, and much like wolves on land, they are highly adaptable and intelligent predators, working in highly coordinated teams with notably advanced strategies and tactics that they develop, and it would seem pass on to their children, for specific prey items. They are truly remarkable animals, and amazingly, are the one mundane (read non magick) animal that can compete, truly compete, atop the food chain even against monsters, wyrids and other esoteric and dangerous beasts within their biome, even holding their own and competing directly with the monstrous marine reptiles that hunt the more tropical waters in the Sea of Sails. They do this in part with a notable intelligence, developed tactics and a strong teamwork dynamic not unlike wolves or even, in some limited capacity, sapient creatures such as yourself, dear reader."

Monroe Alvira Winston Esq, explorer, wildlife researcher and enthusiast.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Given the nickname 'Wolves of the Sea' one would be forgiven at first for being confused when they first lay eyes upon these creatures. Their size is intimidating enough I would suppose, however they can and often do seem as if playful gentle giants at sea when first seen. Sleek of build for their bulk, with a more rounded snout and jaw shape, no visible teeth, their black on white coloration, including the tell tale white 'eyes' upon the black upper half of their body where one may expect their eyes to be, though they are not. Their large almost pancake like pectoral fins, their sleek fluked tails, and the towering dorsal fin, yet all of this with the smooth edges, and the almost cute coloration can seem, despite its size, harmless.

Despite this, and despite their generally curious, even friendly and inquisitive nature, one should remember they are in fact an apex predator. Though they look friendly it is worth remembering they in fact have jaws full of brutal puncturing and tearing teeth. They are obligate carnivores and masters of the sea, capable of adapting to any prey item you wish to name. Their tail flukes, the way they seem to play and slap them on the surface sometimes is also a dangerous tactic used by some populations to aid in hunting, be it to stun prey underwater, or to create tugging waves to wash prey off small spits of land or ice floes. They can crack ship hulls, or capsize smaller vessels, and though they do not actively hunt people, they can exhibit occasional displays of this sort of aggression as a territorial threat or warning.

Genetics and Reproduction

Orca have been observed to be a social species and do seem to rear their young as such. Mothers it would seem only birth a single calf at any given time, which would be in line with most marine wildlife, as the process of giving birth is naturally a time of great vulnerability, and as such, it would make little evolutionary sense for them to be capable of twins or more at once, thereby increasing that window of total vulnerability to untenible lengths of time. As it is, this process is very dangerous, though the social nature of this species does help them with this issue, as a pod will stay with and protect a birthing female among their ranks.

It would seem that their pregnancy cycles last upwards of 15 to 18 months, and that a mother will not immediately be available to mate again after birth, instead not entering another reproductive cycle until her calf is fully weaned off her care and is a full member of the pod, a process that takes around two years. However much of this is conjecture from limited observation and study, and there is still much work to be done should we ever wish to fully understand this complex social species.

Growth Rate & Stages

The ages and stages of orca lifespan are difficult to fully quantify due to limited study, and natural limitations upon terrestrial beings to fully understand the day to day lives of aquatic creatures. However it is believed that somewhere between ages 8-12 is when females hit maturity, reaching their peak around age 20-25. However they live long lives, females in particular capable of living perhaps 80-90 years. Males seem to follow a similar formula when it comes to reproductive ability, reaching maturity around 15 years of age and peaking around 20 years. They are believed to have shorter life spans than their female counterparts, likely 45-60 years.

Ecology and Habitats

"Few an' far between are the denizens of the sea more ferocious, cunning and capable than the orca, and fewer still are those whom are not on the menu to the Wolves of the Sea. One only need to look to Suranth, and their partnership with the Ironhead Pod which serves within their navy in some sort of strange partnership between man (or dwarf) and beast. Put any living creature in the orca's environment long enough, local pods will figure out a way to hunt, kill and eat at least part of it. They will develop a strategy, just as they have with pirate ships in the Nor'Westor Sea. There may be more individually powerful and terrifying denizens of the deep, boyo. But there are no more efficient, skilled, knowledgable and adaptable predators and creatures than the orca, I'll tell you that for free. Nae matter the opinion, tis merely a statement of fact. They rules the waves, and that isn't up for debate."

An old salt aboard a trading vessel at a port in the nation of Depenwood answering a new sailor's query about creatures of the deep, which ones truly scare him

The moniker 'Wolves of the Sea' is well earned in more ways than one. Firstly orca do indeed exhibit similar social behavior, living and hunting in teams or packs called 'pods' that seem to be a maternal family line. They do not interbreed and in fact have a complex social structure beyond the simple pod structure, where groups in neighboring regions of water will meet yearly in their travels and hunting patterns and mate, circulating genetic material between multiple pods, keeping their breeding pool wide enough to avoid inbreeding. These larger 'clans' will occassionally group up into sort of 'mega-pods' as well, particularly in places like the Nor'Westor sea, to hunt larger game like sperm whales or even on occassion blue whales, or in the Sea of Sails to hunt monstrous marine reptiles like plesiosaurs or liopleurodon that often are seen as the dominant leviathans of those seas due to their sheer size. Size is not enough of a defense against a determined pod of orca however.

They are known to develop complex regional hunting tactics specialized to particular prey items and there have been observed behaviors that would seem to suggest these are not in fact merely instinctual but taught behavior, passed down from mother to calf, but also not just from mother to calf, but even to other neighboring groups, should the interactions be friendly. This implies a level of information trading and societal structure not seen in the animal kingdoms outside sapient beings, dolphins, wolves, lions and perhaps some primates. In orca as well, these behaviors are more complex than all but sapient beings such as yourself and others. They have learned such complex methods as beach hunting, a behavior that must be witnessed to truly be understood the level of complex understanding and skill that must be learned, and more importantly, successfully taught to the next generation.

They exhibit the ability to learn but also experiment, and clearly to retain knowledge. They understand complex concepts such as sharks and rays vulnerability that is known as tonic immobility, a vulnerability that dictates larger shark and ray species will drown if they are kept immobile for any length of time, and if they are ever forcibly flipped upside down, they have no real way to resist, they seem to go into a tonic or compliant state, unable to defend themselves. Orca utilize this ability to hunt all manner of rays and sharks, even the mighty great white, once thought to be the dominant predator of the mundane kingdom within the ocean. Orca's adaptability is in many ways similiar to humanity and their kindred sapient kind, able to puzzle their way out of making the most of the resoures available to them, able to overcome odds of size, speed, even weaponry, and master their biome as the apex predator with tactical learning and shared societal structure and knowledge.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Orca are top end apex predators, dominant and with little in the way of species they cannot make a meal out of. They are widely adaptable, yet also uniquely specialized in localized study. Differing regions will develop different hunting strategies and commitments based on what is available to them, and it can be a struggle for them to adapt should the food sources they utilize as the primary load for their diet become scarce. However these difficulties are only true should they not find and be accepted into a different localized social group, whom would introduce them to wider food options and teach them new hunting techniques for these new prey items. In this way, it is clearly not up for debate that Orca are the closest comparison to sapient societies for developing what some may call 'structured cultures' although admittedly at a subsistence level. However they are undeniably completely different social groups with noted 'borders' of a kind, differing linguistic dialects and communication techniques and different food culture.

To fully dictate the various hunting strategies across Valerick's oceans would be long and time consuming, and certainly an incomplete list. Some have been mentioned here previously, such as utilizing tonic immobility, or beaching to hunt seals during their birthing and weaning periods upon some of the breeding beaches of the world. Beyond this, tricks like undertowing, where orca will purposely swim fast and close to the surface or slap their tail flukes to create wakes to wash over small ice floes or spits of land to pull seals or sea lions off them into the water stand out. Stunning shoals of fish with air bubbles or whiplashes of their tail, doing so in groups whilst swimming around the shoal in a group in tighter and tighter circles, letting very few escape, a method known as carousel feeding, unique to orca that specialize in feeding on large shoal fish like herring. There are many more, to many to list, which should give you the reader some idea of the complexity of these marvelous marine mammals.

Behaviour

Orca may be apex predators, however they are also playful and energetic creatures, observed often leaping and 'laughing' a sort of high pitched rapid clicking call that pods will engage in rapidly with each other back and forth. They have been observed using large pieces of coral or sea turtle shells as playthings, almost as if a ball. Headbutting it back and forth, slapping it with their tail flukes, having one of them pick it up in their mouths and the rest chasing them, trying to nimbly, and with surprising grace, grab it and pull it from the other's mouth.

However despite this childish side it should be noted that all these behaviors can come out as bullying tactics and hunting tactics that will be lethal as well. The same sort of 'ball' play has been observed being done with live seals, sea lions, sea otters, sea turtles, even dolphins and other sea creatures. Sometimes the orca do not even eat the creature when it expires from exhaustion, truly seeming to earn their other moniker, 'killer whale'. This is likely rare enough behavior, not eating the kill, as it would seem to be an instinctual faux pas, a net negative in the game of survival and species success. However it cannot be discounted as a method of 'play' given it has been an observed behavior, which does show a harsher side to mother nature that cannot be denied.

Additional Information

Social Structure

As stated orca do seem to have a complex and complicated social structure we are only beginning to understand. It does seem to be matriarchal in nature however, with pods being led by a matriarch, and every female in the pod it would seem from limited research, will be her direct relative, which suggest it is the males whom transient and move on, joining other pods in adulthood, insuring the gene pool does mix.

Domestication

Whilst they are to smart and clever for anything resembling true domestication, there does exist evidence that unique teamwork relationships can be formed between orca pods and people. Two specific examples exist, both in the nation of Suranth. Whalers regularly work with an orca pod that inhabits the waters off the eastern coasts of the nation, from the isle of Higbolv and south wards. The whalers are guided to prime targets such as sperm whales, humpbacks or even the ever rare but lucrative blue whale. The orca chase the whale, keeping in contact with the whaling ship, one of the pod guiding it until the whale is to tired to dive to tired to flee properly, and then the whalers move in and harpoon the gentle giant, saving the orca from the risk of a sudden injury from the creature's sheer bulk when it inevitably has its death throes. Once the whalers harvest what blubber and oil and meat they desire and can carry, they will insure what is left of the corpse trails behind their vessel, and the orca pod will follow and feed off of it, gaining an easy and also stimulating and playful meal.

Another pod, known as the Wolves of the Sea locally, have a military rank, and regularly serve with the Suranthi North Fleet, hunting pirates or facing raiders from the frozen wastes of Norvia far to the north, the inhospitable Void scoured lands. These orca are fully recognized members of the military and Suranthi society, and the pod's calves are even taught by the adults not just how to hunt normal prey items, but how to assault and breach ships, crack hulls and to recognize the difference between naval, neutral and pirate vessels. The entire program is a wild example, and an extreme one, with a high expense budget, yet the results are undeniable. The Nor'westor Sea and its trade routes are safer than they ever were the last forty years since this began. This secret weapon has given the Suranthi navy an undeniable and rather unmatchable edge in confrontations with Norvii raiders or pirates and corsairs alike.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Whaling of Orca is illegal in most nations that engage in the activity, and though the meat is edible, it is culturally considered bad luck to eat them in many places. They are seen as a spiritual animal, as Captain Black Jeremiah's favored denizen of the deep, and in a religious and spiritual sense are generally deemed untouchable.

Facial characteristics

Orca are often described in many cultures as cute, and children oft see them almost as giant playful creatures, like puppies of the sea. These animals often do encourage this, seeming to mostly behave quite friendly towards coastal communities and sailors. Their facial structure, which hides their predatory nature behind a cute almost derpy smooth and round look, with a mouth that when closed seems to be smiling and when open, due to their white 'eye' spots (which are not where their eyes are at all I would remind the dear reader) seems to be be laughing. They seem to encourage this, oft purposely vocalizing in a fashion that could seem as if laughter. In truth this entire facial structure serves other purposes. It is streamlined, as is their whole body, cutting resistance whilst swimming, and the false eye spots are camoflogue for their real eyes. Close inspection of many older orca will show one why. Hunting seal or sea lion or sea otter in particular, such animals when being chased or first assaulted whilst trying to avoid the deadly grip of the orca's jaws will use their claws and fins to attempt to swat and claw at what they percieve to be the orca's eyes.

Whilst this hurts the orca, since their eyes are generally not near these 'eye spots' it is merely like getting a scraped knee or a bruised cheek, not truly limiting in any fashion and certainly won't give the creature pause.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

One will find Orca pods in almost every ocean or sea all across Valerick, they are definitely perhaps the most successful animal, and certainly the most successful apex predator in the aquatic biome bar none mundane, magickal or otherwise.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Orca, like most whales or their ilk do seem to possess a notable and keen sense of echolocation. Their understanding of their environment, even in murky waters, is uncanny. They are a highly vocal species, more so than many other whales and dolphins, and these vocalizations are extremely wide and varied, seeming to almost act as if a language, and a relatively complex one at that. It is not fully understood how, but it does seem their sense of hearing is quite sharp, even underwater, as they are able to hear each other at quite notable distances.

Orca Base Stat Sheet

Average Weight

Males are typically larger, weighing in around and in excess of 6 tonnes (5.9-6.6 tons), with females notably smaller weighing between 3-4 tonnes (3.0-4.4 tons) on average. At birth calves likely weigh in the neighborhood of roughly 180kgs (400lbs).

Average Length

Males again, are notably larger, having a rough estimated range of 6-8 meters (20-26 feet) for length from tip to tail. The difference is more in bulk than length however, as females are believed to have an average length of 5-7 meters (16-23 feet). Calves are estimated to likely be around the neighborhood of 2.5 meters (just under 8 feet) in length when born, though again there is likely variation within that average estimate.

Average Physique

Though noted in the sidebar, those sizes and measurements should not be taken as gospel. This is true for any species terrestrial or not, but especially for aquatic species due to the natural limitations of our terrestrial existence. With orca in particular, I feel I must include here the disclaimer, as there have been specimens caught or found washed up on beaches that seem much smaller, but are fully mature, and also much bigger, with the biggest female ever measured being in excess of 9 meters (30 feet) in length, and the heaviest specimen ever found weighing in excess of 9 tonnes (8.8-10 tons).

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Orca's color palette upon their body does add to the percieved cute factor that many youngsters will see, especially those with knowledge of cattle. However this unique color scheme again has an obvious predatory advantage when one takes a moment to consider it in context of the orca's environment. The white underbelly means any creature prey or potential attacker swimming below the orca and looking up towards the sunlit ocean surface will have a hard time picking out the white whale from the white radiance dancing about their eyes from the sunlight hitting the surface of the water. The grey to black upper half of the body serves a similar purpose if they are underneath a potential prey item or competitor, for when looking down everything quickly becomes dark and murky, very shadowy, the sunlight swallowed by the seemingly fathomless darkness of the ocean. Within this, the dark body of the orca is hard to pick out until it is likely to late.