CreatureData

Melon-headed whale vs Orca

The orca is heavier: 4.3 t against 206 kg for the melon-headed whale, about 21 times the weight.

Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra)
Melon-headed whale LCLeast Concern
Photo: Cyril di Bisceglie · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Orca (Orcinus orca)
Orca DDData Deficient
Photo: Robert Pittman · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

What is the difference between a melon-headed whale and a orca?

Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.

  • The orca is heavier: 4.3 t against 206 kg for the melon-headed whale, about 21 times the weight.
  • The orca is longer-lived: 90 years against 47 years for the melon-headed whale, about 91% longer.
  • They share the family Delphinidae but sit in different genera: Melon-headed whale in Peponocephala, Orca in Orcinus.
  • The melon-headed whale is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List; the orca is Data Deficient.

Side by side

Melon-headed whaleOrca
Scientific namePeponocephala electraOrcinus orca
FamilyDelphinidaeDelphinidae
OrderCetaceaCetacea
Weight206 kg4.3 t
LengthNot recordedNot recorded
Lifespan47 years90 years
Main foodNot recordedafrican penguin, albatross, atlantic bluefin tuna, atlantic spotted dolphin, atlantic wolffish, balaenoptera musculus and 42 more
HabitatNot recordedmarine
Conservation statusLeast ConcernData Deficient
Countries recordedNot recordedNot recorded

A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.

Full record: Melon-headed whaleFull record: OrcaCompare other animals