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Orcinus
''Orcinus'' is a genus of Delphinidae, the family of carnivorous marine mammals known as dolphins. It includes the largest delphinid species, '' Orcinus orca'', known as the orca or killer whale. Two extinct species are recognised, '' Orcinus paleorca'' and '' O. citoniensis'', describing fossilised remains of the genus. The other extinct species '' O. meyeri'' is disputed. Taxonomy The genus ''Orcinus'' was published by Leopold Fitzinger in 1860, its type species is the orca named by Linnaeus in 1758 as ''Delphinus orca''. Taxonomic arrangements of delphinids published by workers before and after Fitzinger, such as John Edward Gray as ''Orca'' in 1846 and ''Orca'' (''Gladiator'') in 1870, are recognised as synonyms of ''Orcinus''. The descriptions of species as ''Orcinus glacialis'' Berzin and Vladimirov, 1983 and ''Orcinus nanus'' Mikhalev and Ivashin, 1981 are considered synonyms of ''Orcinus orca'', the existing species of orca. ''Orcinus'' means "of the kingdom of the dead", ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orcinus Orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas can be found in all of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Orcas have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and other species of dolphin. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Orcas are apex predators, as they have no natural predators. They are highly social; some populations are composed of very stable matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which are of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas can be found in all of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Orcas have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and other species of dolphin. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Orcas are apex predators, as they have no natural predators. They are highly social; some populations are composed of very stable matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orcinus Citoniensis
''Orcinus citoniensis'' is an extinct species of killer whale identified in the Late Pliocene of Italy and the Early Pleistocene of England. It was smaller than the modern killer whale (''O. orca''), versus , and had around 8 more teeth in its jaw. It may have resembled the modern killer whale in appearance, and could represent a transitional species between the modern killer whale and other dolphins. ''O. citoniensis'' could have hunted fish and squid in pods, and coexisted with other large predators of the time such as the orcinine '' Hemisyntrachelus'' and the extinct shark ''Otodus megalodon''. Taxonomy The holotype specimen, MB-1COC-11.17.18, an incomplete skeleton, was first described by paleontologist Giovanni Capellini as ''Orca citoniensis'' in 1883 which came from the Late Pliocene sediments of the Poltriciano farm outside the town of Cetona in Tuscany, Italy–to which the species name "''citoniensis''" refers to. Capellini also referred to the whale as "''O. citoni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orcinus Meyeri
''Orcinus meyeri'' is a fossil species of ''Orcinus'' (killer whales) found in the Early Miocene deposits of southern Germany, known from two jaw fragments and 18 isolated teeth. It was originally described as ''Delphinus acutidens'' in 1859, but reclassified in 1873. Its validity is disputed, and it may be a synonymous with the ancient sperm whale '' Physeterula dubusi''. It was found in the Alpine town of Stockach in the Molasse basin, which was a coastal area with strong tidal currents. Taxonomy The remains of ''Orcinus meyeri'' was first described in 1859 by German paleontologist Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer as an ancient common dolphin, ''Delphinus acutidens'', based on two jaw fragments and some isolated teeth found near the south German town of Stockach. He also suggested the names ''Delphinus (Beluga) acutidens'' and ''D. (Orcopsis) acutidens''. The species name ''acutidens'' derives from Latin ''acutus'' "sharp" and ''dens'' "teeth". In 1873, German naturalist Joh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carcharodon Megalodon
Megalodon (''Otodus megalodon''), meaning "big tooth", is an extinct species of mackerel shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (Mya), from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. It was formerly thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae and a close relative of the great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''). However, it is now classified into the extinct family Otodontidae, which diverged from the great white shark during the Early Cretaceous. While regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators to have ever lived, the megalodon is only known from fragmentary remains, and its appearance and maximum size are uncertain. Scientists differ on whether it would have more closely resembled a stockier version of the great white shark, the whale shark (''Rhincodon typus''), the basking shark (''Cetorhinus maximus'') or the sand tiger shark (''Carcharias taurus''). The most recent estimate with the least error range suggests a maximum length ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orcinus Paleorca
''Orcinus paleorca'' is a fossil species of ''Orcinus'', the genus of killer whales (orca), dated to the Middle Pleistocene. The only known specimen is a tooth fragment discovered in Honshu, Japan. Taxonomy The holotype specimen, a tooth fragment, was found by G. Natsume in the Sanuki Formation in the Kazusa Province of Honshu, Japan–an area dating back to the Middle Pleistocene–and described in 1937 by Japanese paleontologist Hikoshichiro Matsumoto. ''Orcinus paleorca'' could represent the ancestor of the modern killer whale (''Orcinus orca''). Matsumoto noted that the teeth of ''O. paleorca'' are much larger and have more similar dimensions to the modern killer whale than those of the Pliocene '' O. citoniensis'' are. Description The tooth is conical and belonged to the upper right or lower left jaw of an adult individual. The tooth fragment is in height–though the actual height may have been double that– longitudinally–from the side facing the tongue to the side f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Delphinidae
Oceanic dolphins or Delphinidae are a widely distributed family of dolphins that live in the sea. Close to forty extant species are recognised. They include several big species whose common names contain "whale" rather than "dolphin", such as the Globicephalinae (round-headed whales including the orca and pilot whale). Delphinidae is a family within the superfamily Delphinoidea, which also includes the porpoises (Phocoenidae) and the Monodontidae (beluga whale and narwhal). River dolphins are relatives of the Delphinoidea. Oceanic dolphins range in size from the and Maui's dolphin to the and orca, the largest known dolphin. Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism; the males are larger than females. They have streamlined bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers. Though not quite as flexible as seals, some dolphins can travel at speeds 29 km/h (18 mph) for short distances. Most delphinids primarily eat fish, along with a smaller number of squid an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cetacean
Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel themselves through the water with powerful up-and-down movement of their tail which ends in a paddle-like fluke, using their flipper-shaped forelimbs to maneuver. While the majority of cetaceans live in marine environments, a small number exclusively reside in brackish water or fresh water. Having a cosmopolitan distribution, they can be found in some rivers and all of Earth's oceans, and many species inhabit vast ranges where they migrate with the changing of the seasons. Cetaceans are famous for their high intelligence and complex social behaviour as well as for the enormous size of some of the group's members, such as the blue whale which reaches a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 feet) and a weight of 173 tonnes (190 short tons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grampus (genus)
Grampus may refer to: Animals *''Grampus'', the genus and another name for Risso's dolphin, ''Grampus griseus'' *A synonym of the genus '' Orcinus'' *Another name for ''Orcinus orca'', the killer whale or orca *Another name for the hellbender, a species of salamander *Another name for '' Mastigoproctus giganteus'', a species of whip scorpion Ships * CSS ''Grampus'', an American river steamer built in 1856 and used by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War *, the name of a number of Royal Navy ships and submarines *, a fisheries research and fish-culture ship in commission with the United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries from 1886 to 1903 and as USFS ''Grampus'' with the United States Bureau of Fisheries from 1903 to 1917 *, the name of a number of ships of the United States Navy * ''Grampus''-class submarines, a group of minelaying submarines built for the British Royal Navy in the late 1930s *A versatile attack, reconnaissance and research submarine used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grampus Griseus
Grampus may refer to: Animals *''Grampus'', the genus and another name for Risso's dolphin, ''Grampus griseus'' *A synonym of the genus '' Orcinus'' *Another name for ''Orcinus orca'', the killer whale or orca *Another name for the hellbender, a species of salamander *Another name for '' Mastigoproctus giganteus'', a species of whip scorpion Ships * CSS ''Grampus'', an American river steamer built in 1856 and used by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War *, the name of a number of Royal Navy ships and submarines *, a fisheries research and fish-culture ship in commission with the United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries from 1886 to 1903 and as USFS ''Grampus'' with the United States Bureau of Fisheries from 1903 to 1917 *, the name of a number of ships of the United States Navy * ''Grampus''-class submarines, a group of minelaying submarines built for the British Royal Navy in the late 1930s *A versatile attack, reconnaissance and research submarine u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sympatric
In biology, two related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter one another. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct species sharing a common range exemplifies sympatric speciation. Such speciation may be a product of reproductive isolation – which prevents hybrid offspring from being viable or able to reproduce, thereby reducing gene flow – that results in genetic divergence. Sympatric speciation may, but need not, arise through secondary contact, which refers to speciation or divergence in allopatry followed by range expansions leading to an area of sympatry. Sympatric species or taxa in secondary contact may or may not interbreed. Types of populations Four main types of population pairs exist in nature. Sympatric populations (or species) contrast with parapatric populations, which contact one another in adjacent but not shared ranges and do ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
