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Orca
diets vary worldwide. "Resident" orcas prefer fish. Off the North
American west coast the Northern and Southern resident orca communities
eat primarily salmon, although they are known to consume rock fish,
sole, lingcod and halibut. In the north Atlantic the resident orcas
depend on the large schools of herring. Elsewhere, orcas are known
to eat sting rays, sharks and squid. Transient orcas primarily hunt
marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, elephant seals, porpoise,
dolphins, whales and occasionally sea birds. There are populations
of orcas which enjoy a mixed diet of fish and marine mammals. Orcas
employ various hunting strategies determined by the nature of their
prey. The resident orcas are typically quite noisy while fishing,
whereas transients remain stealthy and silent until after a successful
hunt, presumably to avoid alerting their much larger and more acoustically
aware prey.
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