MAMMALS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW JERSEY. 23 



Genus Orcinus Fitzinger, Wissen. — Populate Naturgeschichte. Sau- 

 gethiere, i860, vol. 6, pp. 204-217. 



White-bellied Killer. Orcinus orca (Linnaeus). 



1758. Delphinus orca Linnaeus Systema Naturae, vol. i, p. 77. 



1899. Orcinus orca Palmer, Proceedings Biological Society, Washington, 

 vol. 13, p. 24. 



Type locality. — Coast of Europe. 



Faunal distribution. — Found in all seas. Probably most abundant in sub- 

 arctic and temperate waters. 



Distribution in Pa. and N.J. — Along the New Jersey coast. 



Habits, etc. — The notorious killer whale, the only cannibal of its order, 

 combines enormous strength and ferocity with a comparatively small size as 

 contrasted with that of the 100 foot whales which they hunt and destroy 

 like packs of wolves. Their length is about 20 feet, though often longer ; 

 their jaws are wide and set with about 24 very large, stout teeth with conical 

 recurved crowns and large roots, very unlike those of the rest of the Delphi- 

 nidcB. The back-fin is like a sharp-pointed dagger, of great length, and set 

 almost at right angles to the body. It has erroneously been thought by some 

 a weapon of offense and destruction in " ripping " whales. Scammon calls 

 them "wolves of the ocean " in their manner of worrying the largest whales, 

 in packs. They also seize dead whales which are being towed ashore by 

 whalemen and quickly descend with them into the deep beyond recovery. 

 They are the only whales which eat mammalia, not only devouring the largest 

 fish, but seals and all other dolphins, porpoises, and large whales are the main 

 objects of their gluttonous rapine. Though the old walrus is safe from them, 

 the young are greedily eaten. When they seek safety on the parent's back, 

 the killer dives and rams its nose against the dam, throwing off the calf and 

 seizing it in a twinkling. From the maw of one of these killers Eschricht 

 states that 13 porpoises and 14 seals were extracted. This was an Atlantic 

 Orcinus only 16 feet long. They are the terror of all dolphins, driving whole 

 schools of these and of fish upon the sand of our bays. The color is black 

 above, white beneath, a patch of white behind eye and on back near fin. 



Records in N. J. — While often found off the N. J. coast there seem to be 

 no records of its stranding or being captured. I have seen them in packs of 

 4 or 6 slowly trailing near the surface with the high dorsal fin standing 

 straight out of the water a distance of nearly 2 feet. This on the coast 

 near Beach Haven, N. J., and also near Atlantic City. It is thought by 

 bathers to be a shark. I have not heard of their being man-eaters. — 

 Rhoads, 1902. 



