Meet the Orca
In order to help them with countershading and blending into their environment when hunting, orcas have this distinct color combination
What is black and white?
As warming oceans shift seal populations, flat-toothed orcas may compete more directly with this large predatory fish
What are great white sharks?
Orcas hunt in family groups called this
What are pods?
When threatened, fur seals escape to this terrestrial location where orcas cannot follow
What is land?
When a top predator like a great white shark disappears from an area, the seal population will likely do this
What is increase?
Orcas have been known to hunt and eat this large shark
What is the great white shark?
Higher tidal height is beneficial to shark hunting since it increases the vulnerability of
What are fur seals?
The transmission of hunting knowledge across generations without genetic change is known as cultural _________
What is cultural evolution?
When orcas are detected in the area, great white sharks are known to do this to avoid being eaten
What is flee the area?
When apex predators regulate prey populations like fur seals, they help maintain ecosystem _______
What is balance?
Orcas are at the top of their food chain with no predators, making them this type of predator
What is an apex predator?
The impacts of climate change on the ecosystem can eventually cause a ______ effect on the seals, sharks, and eventually orcas
What is a ripple effect?
The distinct color pattern of orcas and great white sharks give them this form of camouflage to blend in with their environment
What is countershading?
Prey animals that detect predators early rely heavily on this sense for survival in open water
What is vision (or hearing)?
Great white sharks are considered apex predators with no natural predators besides these two species
Orcas and Great whites are both obligate carnivores, meaning they cannot live healthily (or at all) without this type of food
What is animal tissue? (meat)
Since orcas are apex predators, climate change impacts on lower trophic levels can create cascading effects throughout the entire _________
What is the ecosystem?
Some orcas intentionally strand themselves briefly on beaches to catch seals, a risky hunting tactic known as intentional ________
What is beaching?
When seals gather closely together to reduce individual risk, this "safety in numbers" behavior is called ________
What is grouping?
When one species strongly influences the structure of an ecosystem, it is sometimes referred to as a ________ species
What is a keystone species?
The bite strength of an Orca
What is 19000 PSI?
Reduced sea ice can initially make hunting easier for flat-toothed orcas because their prey has fewer places to hide, but over time it can cause long-term population _______ in marine animals
What is decline?
Orcas use this ability to find prey using sound waves
What is echolocation?
The constant need to avoid multiple predators increases prey energy expenditure and affects overall _______
What is fitness?
Interactions among orcas, sharks, and seals demonstrate how energy moves through different trophic levels in a marine _________
What is an ecosystem?