Killer Whales/Orcas and Lofoten

Killer whales or Orcas as they also are called, are toothed whales and the largest member of the dolphin family. Around the coast of Norway it is thought that there is about 1500 killer whales. Killer whales are easily recognised due to their striking black and white coloration. The average length of Norwegian killer whale males is 7 meters, of females 5,5 meters. In addition to their larger body size, adult males have a taller dorsal fin than females. The killer whales can be found in all the world's oceans, living in waters ranging from tropical to arctic.

Diet and Behaviour

The killer whales eats 2-5% of the body weight each day. Their diet consists mainly of fish, but some populations hunt marine mammals including sea lions, seals and even large whales. In Norway the population specialise in herring and they follow the fish's migratory path to the Norwegian coast each fall. Orcas are highly social animals and they live in groups called pods. Usually a group consists of 5 - 30 whales.

Communication

Killer whales communicate within and between groups with help of acoustic signals. The killer whales can distinguish between different clans due to their different dialects.

Sexual maturity

Male killer whales, or bulls, begin maturing at 12 to 14 years of age, females at about 8 to 10 years. The gestation period is 16 to 17 months. Newborn killer whales nurse for at least one year. Males may live until they are 40 years old and females have been known to live to 60-80 years old.

Treats to the Killer Whales

The killer whales don't have any natural enemies except mankind and they are not an endangered spices. But still some local populations are considered threatened due to pollution. Recent studies shows that the Orcas are among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world.

LOFOTEN

Lofoten is an archipelago located in the north-western part of Norway. The islands are characterised by high mountains, narrow fjords and small genuine fishing villages. The main islands are Austvågøy, Gimsøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy, Moskenesøy, Værøy and Røst. There are about 24.500 people living on the islands, most people live (4.500) in Svolvær, the capital of Lofoten. The traditional livelihood on Lofoten is fishing but today tourism is becoming more and more important for the local economy.

Climate

During the summer months the midnight sun shines and in the winter you can often see the northern lights over the mountains and fjords. Due to the warm Gulf Stream, Lofoten has a much milder climate than other parts of the world at the same latitude. During the summer months it can be sunny with temperatures up to 20-25 degrees Celsius, but it can also be windy and cloudy with fog or scattered showers. From June to August the average temperature is 12 degrees Celsius. January and February are the coldest months with an average temperature of -1 degree Celsius.

The Norwegian kitchen

The Norwegian kitchen is not surprisingly characterised by a lot of seafood and dishes with salmon. The concept of drying fish for conservation has a long tradition in Norway and is something you should try on your visit.

Some short info. about Norway

Norway became a country in the 900th century, but after this Norway has been invaded several times by its neighbouring countries Sweden and Denmark. The constitution from the 17th of May 1814 is still the constitution of the country. Norway became totally independent 1905 when the union with Sweden was dissolved. During the Second World War Norway suffered greatly since it was invaded by the Nazis. This is said to be one factor that led Norway to become a member of NATO. The parliament is called Stortinget and has 165 representatives. Today Norway is governed by a left wing coalition lead by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Norway is not a member of the EU. Due to large findings of oil outside the Norwegian coast in the 20th century, the country has a very strong economy and is one of the world major oil producing countries.

If you like to read more

Here you can find some additional information about Norway: The Norwegian Government. And for some more info. about the Orcas check out Wikipedia.