10 pairs of ribs. The teeth, which are present in both jaws, vary in number from 8 to 10 on each side, and are conical in shape and often truncated. In colour it is entirely white, sometimes with a yellowish tinge. The White Whale is common in the White Sea, in Hudson's Bay, Davis Straits, and the Arctic Ocean generally, and is only accidentally found so far south as the British Islands. A few have been met with off the coast of Scotland and in Orkney. The name "Beluga" is said to be of Russian origin, being derived from "beloe," which signifies white.
Genus Orca, Gray.
The members of this genus are distinguished by their round head; large, conical and slightly curved teeth; high dorsal fin; flippers broad and oval; and tail broad and powerful.
Orca gladiator (Lacépède). Grampus, or Killer.[1]—Length about 20 feet; 50 vertebrae and 11 or 12 pairs of ribs. The upper jaw is slightly longer than the under one; the blow-hole crescentic, concave in front. The teeth, which are present in both jaws, vary from 11 to 12 on each side, and are large, conical, and slightly recurved. In colour it is glossy black above, pure white beneath, a sharp line of demarcation between the two. Above each eye is a white spot. The Grampus seems to have a wider geographical range than most of the Cetacea, having been met with from Greenland to the Mediterranean. Numerous specimens have been brought ashore on different parts of the coast of Scotland and England. Its voracity is astonishing, and examination of the contents of the stomach of different specimens has shown that it preys largely on seals and porpoises, and even kills and devours the White Whale.
Genus Grampus, Gray.
Although agreeing with Orca in the rounded head, high dorsal fin and large flippers, this genus is distinguished by having no teeth in the upper jaw at any age, while those of the lower jaw are few and all placed in front. The flippers, moreover, although large, are long and narrow, and placed low down. The tail is not nearly so large and broad as in Orca.
Grampus griseus (Cuvier). Risso's Grampus.—Attains a length of about 10 feet, and has 68 vertebræ and 12 pairs of ribs. The
- ↑ "Grampus," from Grand-poisson. Called "Killer" in allusion to its carnivorous habits.
