Category: Apex predator

Orca or Killer whales

Orca by Robert Pittman NOAA

Orca or Killer whale

As this species is a member of Cetacea, not carnivora. Never-the-less, this is the largest clear predator on the planet.

They are found in all of the worlds oceans. What is incredible, is that other apex predators, like the great white are rendered prey, simply be the arrival of Orcas on the scene.

One such example, is the arrival of the Orcas in South Africa. The great white sharks have vanished. While there are suggestions that they have not gone far (perhaps merely into the depths of the waters nearby)  it is clear that after a number were killed by the orcas they have given way.

They are not actually whales, being the largest member of the Oceanic Dolphin family, and as such appear to have the brainpower to defeat almost anything when they put their mind to it. As well as great white sharks, Orca will also hunt all of the baleen whales, including the blue whale which is the largest animal to ever roam the earth. They will also regularly hunt toothed whales such as false killer whales.

Each pod is lead by a dominant female, and these animals can live to be 50-90 years old. While this species eats a wide variety of fish, sharks, rays and marine mammals such as seals, other species of dolphins and whales, generally these animals specialize. Some generally eat fish, while others hunt mammals.

They have a wide range of hunting techniques, from polar orca working together to create waves to wash seals off icebergs, to intentionally beaching themselves in Argentina, to grab seals from the beach. Each group is capable of coming up with their own techniques which are taught to future generations.

Below you will find any articles from the blog, which mention the Killer whale (or Orca). Below that is a video of this species (it is a 50 minute documentary on this species). Below that, we will add any links which will allow you to try to see this species for yourself.

Ethiopian wolf

The Ethiopian wolf is restricted to the highlands of Ethiopia, and the current count is only 366 ,

Ethiopian wolf

The Ethiopian wolf is a highly endangered canid that is restricted to the highlands of Ethiopia. Other names include the Ethiopian fox, or the Simien wolf.

In terms of size, it is about the same size as the Coyote, Genetically, they are more similar to wolves than all jackals (except the Golden jackal). Here, below you can see how closely related each of the wolves are. While they look rather like jackals, their behaviour is far more like wolves – though due to the prey in the area, they do not hunt in packs (though there are regions of earth where grey wolves do not hunt as a pack either.

Red wolf

red wolf

Red wolves

Red wolves have varied a bit about whether they should be classed as their own species or a subspecies of the grey wolf, however it has now been settled that they are separate for quite some time.

Size-wise it lies midway between a grey wolf and a coyote. Indeed, despite its serious danger of extinction, it is often missing from the endangered list. It has at various times been suggested to be a cross between the wolf and the coyote, or been a subspecies of the wolf.

It has been listed as critically endangered since 1996 by the IUCN, yet the same species is not listed in the CITES appendices of endangered species.

If or when we write any articles on this subject, they will appear below

To return to the canine family, click here

Algonquin wolf

Algonquin Wolf

This wolf was formerly called the Eastern Timber wolf, and was considered a subspecies of the grey wolf. There are only around 500 of this species that live in the wild. They are classified as vulnerable, presumably as there was never a large population of these wolves in the wild. They are thought to have split from grey wolves 67,000 years ago (for reference, this is more than twice the minimum distance back to when red and grey wolves split).

Found in the area of the great lakes and eastern Canada.

At the point at which it was decided that this wolf is a separate species, it already has a relatively low population, though it is considered to be mid-way between secure and extinct.

Any articles that we write in the future will appear below. We hope in the future to link to people who can help you see them in the wild, this will lie below the news. Do get in touch if you live or work in the area, we are really keen to connect you with those people visiting the area, so that they can see this newly split species and to bring you income from this species on your doorstep.

Both of the below videos are from Algonquin park, the first is a natural howl of a wolf in the stillness of the morning, while the second, is a howl prompted by a human howling into the wilderness – while this should not be done too often, as it can make the wolves nervous (they howl to spread themselves out, so hearing howls can make them think that they have to fight – though howling in North America is far more common, likely as a result of centuries of persecution in Europe.

As we make links in the field to see this species, they will appear below the  videos and the list of articles.

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