教材分析 WarmingUpprovidestwoactivitiestosparkstudents'interestinthetopic.Ofcourse，beforetheclass，thestudentsmusthavegatheredsomeinformationtomakepreparationsforthisclass.Manykindsoftheirfavoriteseaanimalsarepresentedintheirvividpictures.Studentsareencouragedtointroducethemusingsomenewexpressionssuchasatanaquarium，onasnorkellingtrip.Pre－readingisdesignedtofurtherstimulatetheirinterestinthetopicoftheunit.Meanwhile，studentsmayhavesomebasicinformationaboutthetext.ThereadingpassageOldTomtheKillerWhaletellsabouttwoanecdoteswitnessedbythewriterhimself.Theteachercanfirstgetstudentstoskimthetextforthecharactersinthetwoanecdotesandgetthemainideaofeachanecdote.Thenletthemscanforfurtherunderstanding.Inordertoletstudentspayattentiontothewriter'svividdescription，theteachercanaskthemtodoablank－fillingexerciseinpairstofindoutsomekeyverbsandverbphrases.Havingdonethis，studentsmusthavehadaveryclearunderstandingofthewholehuntingandsavingprocess.Tomaketheirunderstandingeasier，theteachershoulddealwithanylanguageproblemswhiletheyarereading.Andthenunderlinesomeusefulwordsandexpressions.Forfurtherthinking，studentsareexpectedtoworkinpairsorgroups.Theywilldiscusstheproblemsandworkouttheanswerscooperatively，choosingareporterintheirgroup.Studentswillthinkactively，sovariousanswersarepossible.Toconsolidatethecontentsofthereadingpassage，studentsshouldberequiredtoretellthepassageinthenameofOldTomorthebaleenwhaleorJameswithasmanykeywordsaspossible.Attheendoftheclass，byholdingadebate，theteachercanarousestudents'interestfurtheraswellasmakethemawareoftherelationshipbetweenmanandanimalsandtheimportanceofbanningwhaling.三维目标 知识目标1．Getstudentstolearntheusefulnewwordsandexpressionsinthispart：anecdote，annual，witness，accommodation，shore，opposite，yell，pause，telescope，teamwork，dive，depth，lip，urge，abandon，shark，relationship，help...out.2．Letstudentslearnaboutseveraldifferenttypesofwhales，especiallythekillerwhales.能力目标1．Enablethestudentstolearntotalkabouttheirfavoriteseaanimals.2．Developstudents'readingabilitybylearningtoreadaboutthekillerwhalesandletthemlearndifferentlearningskills.[来源:学科网]3．Developtheircreativethinkingability.情感目标1．Arousestudents'greatinterestinseaanimals.2．Makethemawareoftherelationshipbetweenmanandanimalsandtheimportanceofbanningwhaling.3．Developstudents'senseofcooperativelearning.教学重点 ,1．Readingcomprehensiontothetext.2．Learningmoreaboutthekillerwhalesandunderstandingtherelationshipbetweenthekillerwhalesandthewhalers.3．Importantwordsandexpressions.教学难点 1．Therelationshipbetweenthekillerwhalesandthewhalers.2．Developstudents'readingability.教学方法 1．Individual，pairandgroupwork.2．Task－basedteachingandlearning.3．Quiz，discussion，blank－filling，retelling，debate.教学工具 Acomputerandaprojector.教学过程 Step1 Warmingup1．Asksomestudentstoshowsomepicturesoftheirfavoriteseaanimalsandintroducethemtotheclass.Theintroductionshouldcovertheseaspects：·TheEnglishandChinesenameofyourfavoriteseaanimal.·Wheredidyoufindit?[来源:学科网]·Somefeaturesofit，itsdistribution，orlivingcondition.Anythingaboutitiswelcome.·Whydoyoulikeit?Sampleintroduction：①Myfavoriteseaanimalisdolphins(海豚)．Ifoundthematanaquariumthissummerholiday.Dolphinsareverymeek(温顺的)．Neitherastimidanimalsinvirginforestswhorunawayimmediatelytheydiscoverastranger，norasbeastsinremotemountainswhobarefangsandbrandishclawsthemomenttheyencounteraperson，dolphinsarealwaysfriendlywithpeople.Dolphinsandhumanbeingshavebeenonfriendlytermsallalong.Ilikedolphins，becausedolphinsaretrulyintellectual.Theycanevenimitatesomepeople'svoiceafteraperiodoftraining.Yet，dolphinshaveintelligencedifferentfromcommonanimals.Thevolumeandmassoftheirbrainareamongthemostconsiderableintheanimalworld.Uptothepresentmoment，scientistshavetwodifferentviewsonanimals'intelligence：oneisthatofallanimals，chimpsarethemostintellectualandcapable；anotheristhatchimpsarenomorecapableofstudyingthandolphins，anditisprobablethatdolphinsaremoreintellectualthanchimps.Therefore，somepeopleconsiderdolphinsas“wizardsinthesea”．Whenmentioningdolphins，peoplewillprobablyspeakhighlyoftheirsupernormalintelligenceandability.Inthataquarium，itiscommonthatdolphinsaregivingawonderfulperformancebyfollowingthetrainer'sinstructions.Theyseemtobecapableofunderstandingwhatmankindexpressesandtakingactionsaccordingtotheinstructions.Atpresent，themajorityofpeoplemarvelatdolphins'supernormalintelligenceasakindofseaanimal.Buttowhatextentcandolphins'intelligenceandabilityachieve？Itremainstobeprobedandresearched.,[来源:Z。xx。k.Com]②Myfavoriteseaanimalistropicalfish(热带鱼)．Ifoundthemonasnorkellingtrip.Iwasattractedbyitscolorfulappearance.Inthehalfanhour'stripfromtheshore，Ifoundcoralreefs，tropicalfishandothermarinelife.Excitedly，Iboughtsomefisheshome.Itwasmyfirsttimetoraisetropicalfish.Onemonthagomyfriendtoldmethattropicalfishareeasiertoraisethanthegoldenfish.Herwordsletmethinkofanotherfriendofmine.Heisraisingtropicalfish.Iamfeedingfourcategoriesoftropicalfish.Twoblackmarry，eightpeacocks，anothertwofishes，althoughIdon'tknowtheirnames，arethemostbeautiful.Thepeacockisthesmallestandisn'tcolorfulasIhaveseeninotherplacesbefore.Myfriendtoldmetheywillbebeautifulwhentheygrowup.SoIputtheeightpeacockfishintoasmallfishjar.Iobservesthemeverydayandisexpectingthemtobebiggerandmorecolorful.Twoofthefourbigtropicalfisheshavediedincludingthebeautifulone.Perhapsthebeautifulfish'slifeisfragile.Ifitistrue，thenIdon'texpectthesmallpeacockstoturnbeautiful.Ishouldn'tbesogreedytowantboth.Thattheyjusthavestronglifeisenoughforme.2．Theteachershowthepictureofakillerwhaleanddoasmallquizaboutit.(1)What'stheChineseandEnglishnameofthiswhale?虎鲸Killerwhales(2)CanyoumatchthesewhaleswiththeirChineseandEnglishnames？(Showstudentssomepicturesofdifferentwhales.) baleenwhale须鲸spermwhale抹香鲸bluewhale蓝鲸whitewhale白鲸(3)Whichofthesekindsofwhalescangrowtobethelargest?Bluewhales蓝鲸(about21－27minlength,100－120tonsinweight)(4)Humanshavebeenhuntingwhalesformorethan__A__years.A．2000 B．1000 C．500(5)Willthekillerwhalesattackpeopleandeatthem？ No.(6)Doesafemalekillerwhalegivebirthtoababywhaleorlayeggs？ Givebirthtoababywhale.(7)Whatdoesanewly－bornbabykillerwhalefeedon？__C__A．Smallseaanimals.B．Seaplants.C．Itsmother'smilk.,(8)Dothekillersbelongtothefamilyofdolphinsorwhales？ Dolphins.(9)Malekillerwhaleshavealifeexpectancyof__B__years，whilefemalescanliveaslongas__D__years.A．40－50 B．50－60 C．60－70 D．80－90(10)Killersarehighlysocialanimalsthattravelingroupscalledpods(群)．Podsusuallyconsistof__A__whales.A．2－50B．20－50C．30－60(11)Howmanysoundscanakillerwhalemake？ 62sounds.(12)Arekillersendangeredspeciesandinneedofconservation？ No.(13)Thekillerwhalesaresometimescalledthe“__A__ofthesea”becausetheyarebothveryfierce.A．wolfB．dogC．tiger[来源:学|科|网Z|X|X|K]Step2 Pre－reading1．ReadthewordsinPre－readingonPage19quicklyandfillintheform.WriterAnoldmancalledClancyOccupation·AwhalerStyle·AnecdotesTime·Atthebeginningofthe20thcenturyPlace·AustraliaWhathappened·Thekillerwhaleshelpedthewhalerscatchabaleenwhale.Step3 Skimming1．Glancethroughthetwoanecdotesanduseonesentencetogetthemainideaofeachanecdote.Mainideas：Anecdoteone：Thekillerwhaleshelpedthewhalerstocatchabaleenwhale.Anecdotetwo：OldTomsavedawhalerJames.2．Fillintheblankswiththenamesoftherolesinthetext.(1)______was16yearsofagewhenhewenttoworkatthewhalingstation.(2)______orderdClancytogototheboatastherewasawhaleoutthereinthebay.(3)______wasswimmingbytheboatshowingthewhalerstheway.(4)______toldClancythattheywouldreturnthenextdaytobringinthebodyofthewhale.(5)______wascarriedbythewavesfurtherandfurtherawayfromthewhalers.(6)______knewthatOldTomwouldprotectJames.Suggestedanswers：(1)Clancy (2)George (3)OldTom (4)Jack (5)James (6)RedStep4 Scanning1．Readthesetwoanecdotescarefullyandfindoutsomeverbsorverbphrasestodotheblank－fillingworksheet.Anecdoteone：Therewasperfectcooperationbetweenthewhalersandthekillerwhales.BeforethehuntThekillers'action：Threw_itselfout_ofthewaterandthencrashed_downagain.,Swam_bytheboat，showingthewhalerstheway.Circledbacktotheboat,leadingthewhalerstothehunt.Thewhalers'reaction：Awhaleryelledout.Georgeranahead_of_clancy.Clancyraced_afterhim.Theyjumped_into_theboatwiththeotherwhalersandheaded_outintothebay.DuringandafterthehuntThekillers'action：Apackofkillersarethrowing_themselvesontopofthewhale'sblow－holeto_stopitbreathing；someothersarestoppingitfleeing_outtosea.[来源:学科网]Thekillersstartedracing_betweenthewhalers'boatandthewhale，justlikeapackofexciteddogs.Withinamomentortwo，thewhale'sbodywasdragged_down_intothedepthsofthesea.Thewhalers'reaction：Themaninthebowoftheboataimedaharpoonatthewhaleandletitgotohitthespot.Startedturningtheboataroundtogohome.Anecdotetwo：ThedangersfacingJames：(1)Hewaswashed_off_theboatandwascarried_away_byroughwaves.(2)Therewasasharkoutthere.ThehelpofferedbyOldTom：(1)OldTomwouldn't_let_thesharknear.(2)OldTomfirmlyheldJamesupinthewater.2．Readingaloudandunderliningexpressions.Studentsreadthetextaloudtothetapeandunderlinealltheexpressionsinthetext.Putthemdownintotheirnotebooksafterclassashomework.Suggestedanswers：Collections：atthetime，witnesssth.withone'sowneyesmanytimes，sortoutmyaccommodation，intimetodosth.，crashdown，yellout，aheadof，fleeouttosea，aimat，letsth.go，bedraggedswiftlydownintothedepthsofthesea，inthemeantime，haveagoodfeedonsth.，becarriedfurtherandfurtheraway，befirmlyheldupinthewater3．Reading，identifyingandsettling.Studentsskimthetextonceagainandidentifythedifficultsentences.Letthemtryanalyzingthestructuresofthedifficultsentencesanddiscussthemamongtheirgroupmembers.Theymayalsoturntotheteacherforhelp.·...Georgedidn'tlikebeingkeptwaiting...·...Icouldseeawhalebeingattackedbyapackofaboutsixotherkillers.·Beingbadlywounded，thewhalesoondied.·...Icouldseehewasterrifiedofbeingabandonedbyus.Step5 DiscussionAfterthestudentsreadthepassage，askthemtodiscussthefollowingquestionsingroupsandthenreporttotheclass.1．WhyhasthekillerwhalegotthenameOldTom?2．Doyoulikekillerwhales？Whyorwhynot?Suggestedanswers：1．OldTomisaperson'sname.Inmyopinion，thereasonswhythekillerinthetextiscalled,somaybetwo.Foronething，thekillerthatshowedthewhalersthewaytothehuntandsavedJamesmustbeamalekillerwhalebecauseTomisaman'sname.Foranother，thewhalerscalleditOldTom，justastheywerecallingaman.Thatistosay，thewhalerstreateditastheirdearfriend.Inthemeantime，thekilleritselfmustbeveryfriendlytothewhalersandhelpedthemalotinhuntinginthesea.Inreturn，thekillercangetpartofthebaleenwhaleasitsfood.Sotosomeextent，thewhalersandkillersaredependingoneachother.Theycooperatedwellandlivedinharmonywithoneanother.2．IlikekillerwhalesbecausewhenJamesfellofftheboat，thekillerwhalenotonlyprotectedhimfrombeingdrownedbutalsowouldn'tletthesharknear.Theyaresocleverandfriendlytohumanbeings.What'smore，theyworkedasateam，whichshouldbelearnedbyuswhenweareworking.Idon'tlikethem.Thoughtheyarecleverandfriendlytous，theyaretoofierce.Tomygreatsurprise，theyshouldeatthefleshofanotherwhale.Icouldhardlybelieveit.Ihaveneverheardofoneanimalkillinghisfamiliesandeveneatingtheirmeat.Howpitifulitis!Step6 Further－thinking1．Whatelsedoyouthinkisamazinginthestory？Showyourevidence.2．Whatisananecdote?Suggestedanswers：1．Ithinkitissoamazingthatwehumanbeingsshoulduseoneanimaltoattackorhuntanotheranimalevenhisownfamilymembers，justlikedogsthathelphuntershuntanimals.Ithinkthatthekillerwillreturnthebodyofthebaleenwhaleinsteadofkeepingitoreatingitupisveryamazing.ButIguessthekillerwhalesarejustfondofthetasteofthebaleenwhale'slipsandtongue.Ortheyjustwanttoshareitwiththewhalersinreturnfortheircooperation.2．Accordingtothetext，asfarasIamconcerned，ananecdotemustbeanexcitingoramazingstory.Step7 ConsolidationAskstudentstoretellthepassagewiththehelpoftheirworksheet.1．PleaseretelleitherofthetwoanecdotesinthenameofOldTom，thebaleenwhaleorJames.Youranecdoteshouldatleastconsistoftwoparagraphs：Paragraphone：aboutthewriter，time，placeandwhathappenedParagraphtwo：detailedinformationabouttheanecdoteForreference：InthenameofOldTomIamOldTom，akillerwhale.IliveinthesoutheasternoceanofAustralia.EnormousasIam，Ineverharmorattackpeople.Instead，Ialwayshelpthewhalerscatchbaleenwhales.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury，itwasIandmycompanionswhoassistedthewhalersinhuntingahugebaleenwhale.Andlater，IdidsaveJamesfrombeingdrowned.Onthatday，whenIfoundabaleenwhalenearby，Iquicklythrewmyselfoutofthewaterandcrasheddownagain.Assoonastheysawthisandheadedouttothehunt，Iswambytheboat，showingthemtheway.Usuallyweworkasateam—apackofaboutsixofuskillers.Somethrewourselvesontopofthewhale'sblow－holetostopitbreathing.Andthoseothersstoppeditfleeingouttosea.Atlast，wesucceededincatchingit.Inthemeantime，weenjoyedthelipsandtongueofthebaleenwhale，leavingtherestofittothewhalersthenextday.Oneday，Jameswaswashedofftheboat.Theseawasrough.Thewaveswerecarryinghim,furtherandfurtheraway.Worsestill，Isawasharkswimmingaround.FromJames'sface，Icouldseehewasterrifiedofbeingabandonedbyothersandattackedbytheshark.ButIwouldn'tletthesharknear.Whentheyapproachedhim，Ihadbeenholdinghimupinthewaterforhalfanhour.Idohopeyoucouldwitnessthemwithyoureyes.Andmostimportantly，youshouldlearnfromus—“workasateam”！InthenameofthebaleenwhaleIwasapitifulbaleenwhale.IoncelivedinthesoutheasternoceanofAustralia.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury，amisfortunedidfalluponme.Tomygreatsorrow，Iwascorneredandkilledbythewhalerswiththehelpofanotherkindofwhalecalledkillerwhales.Onthatday，IwasfoundbyakillerwhalecalledOldTomnearby.Hequicklythrewhimselfoutofthewaterandcrasheddownagain.Assoonasthewhalerssawthisandheadedouttothehunt，heswambytheboat，showingthemtheway.Usuallythekillersworkasateam—apackofaboutsixofthem.Somethrewthemselvesontopofmyblow－holetostopmebreathing.Andthoseothersstoppedmefleeingouttosea.Atlast，Iwaswornoutandhadnoluck.Iwasbadlywoundedbyaharpoon.Ididnothingwrong.Whydidtheywanttokillme？Later，Iwasdraggeddownintothedepthsofthesea，havinghadmylipsandtongueeaten.Iwassentbacktothewhalersthenextday.Ireallyhatedthekillers.Iftheyhadn'thelpedthewhalers，Icouldhavefledouttoseatoenjoymyrestlife.InthenameofJamesIamJames，awhaler.IliveonthesoutheasterncoastofAustralia.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury，IwassavedbyOldTom，akillerwhale.Believeitornot，thekillerwhalescannotonlyhelpushuntbutalsosavepeoplewhentheyareindanger.Oneday，OldTomfoundabaleenwhalenearby，itquicklythrewitselfoutofthewaterandcrasheddownagain.Assoonaswesawthisandheadedouttothehunt，itswambytheboat，showingustheway.Usuallythekillersworkasateam—apackofaboutsixofthem.Somethrewthemselvesontopofthebaleenwhale'sblow－holetostopitbreathing.Andthoseothersstoppeditfleeingouttosea.Atlast，wesucceededincatchingit.Inthemeantime，thekillersenjoyedthelipsandtongueofthebaleenwhale，leavingtherestofittousthenextday.Anotherday，Iwaswashedofftheboat.Theseawasrough.Thewaveswerecarryingmefurtherandfurtheraway.Tomakemattersworse，Isawasharkswimmingaround.Iwasterrifiedofbeingabandonedbyothersandattackedbytheshark.Buttomysurprise，OldTomwouldn'tletthesharknear.Whenmycompanionsapproachedme，IhadbeenheldupinthewaterbyOldTomforhalfanhour.Thisexperienceleftadeepimpressiononme.IreallyappreciatedOldTom.Itwasitthatgavemeasecondlife.Step8 DebateThelastwhalingstationinAustraliaclosedin1978.Whalesarenowanendangeredspeciesandprotectedbyaninternationalban，butsomecountriesopposetheban.Ingroupsdiscussthereasonsforandagainstbanningwhaling.Step9 Homework1．Writedowntheusefulnewwordsandexpressions，thenlearnthembyheart.2．WritedownananecdoteinthenameofOldTom，thebaleenwhaleorJames.,PhysicalDescriptionThekillerwhale，ororca，isthelargestmemberofthedolphinfamily.Killerwhalesarelargeandrobustwithabluntheadandreducedbeak.Withtheirstrikingpigmentation，theyarenotoftenconfusedwithotherspeciesintheirnaturalsetting.Orcasarejetblackwithawhitepatchbehindandabovetheeyes.Thelowerjawandthroatarealsowhite，contiguouswithawhitebellypatchthatextendsbacktothegenitalregion.Theundersidesoftheflukesarewhiteandwhitelobesextendupwardsfromthewhitebellytobehindthedorsalfin.Agreysaddlepatchisfoundbehindthedorsalfin，theshapeofwhichisuniquetoindividualwhales.Thetalldorsalfinofmatureanimals，especiallymales，canreachupto1.8meters(5.9feet)．Malesreach8.5meters(28feet)inlength，whilefemalesreach6.7meters(22feet)．NaturalHistoryKillerwhalesareoneofthemostcosmopolitanspeciesofwhales，withadistributionthatspanstropicaloceansandarcticseas.Theyarehighlysocialandformstrongandpersistentsocialbondswiththeirpodmembers.Podsaremadeupofextendedfamilymembersand2ormorepodsmaycometogetherforshortperiodstomate.Theworld'skillerwhalepopulationseemstoconsistofsubpopulationsadaptedtolivewithinthespecializednicheoftheirenvironment.Apod'smovementstendstofollowthoseoftheirintendedpreywhich，dependingonlocation，mayincludesalmonherring，baleenwhales，penguinsandseals.StatusInCanada，killerwhalesarelistedasthreatenedbytheCommitteeontheStatusofEndangeredWildlife(COSEWIC)andareprotectedunderthenewfederalSpeciesatRiskAct(SARA)．Otherpopulationsworldwidemaybeprotectedunderspecificnationallegislation.ThreatstotheSpeciesAlthoughtheglobalpopulationofkillerwhalesisnotendangered，differentregionalpopulationsaredepleted.ResidentandtransientpopulationsoffthecoastofVancouver，CanadaandWashingtonState，U.S.，weredepletedbythelivecapturefisheryforaquariathatoccurredbeforescientistsknewhowmanykillerwhalesexistedinthepopulation.Todaythesepopulationsnumberonlyafewhundredwhalesandarethreatenedbypollution，heavyshiptraffic，andpossiblyreducedprey.Becauseofthekillerwhales'popularity，thereareconcernsthatintensivewhalewatchingoperationsmaydrivewhalesfromtheirpreferredhabitat.Aswell，noise－makingdevicesattachedtosalmoncagestoscareoffpredatorsmayalsoforcewhalesoutoftheirpreferredhabitat，affectingtheirabilitytofeed.SomeorcapopulationsarealsohuntedinJapan，Indonesia，GreenlandandtheWestIndies.外形特征虎鲸是一种大型齿鲸，身长为8～10米，体重9吨左右，背呈黑色，腹为灰白色，有一个尖尖的背鳍，背鳍弯曲长达1米，嘴巴细长，牙齿锋利，性情凶猛，食肉动物，善于进攻猎物，是企鹅、海豹等动物的天敌。有时它们还袭击其他鲸类，甚至是大白鲨，可称得上是海上霸王。寿命：雄性：50～60年；雌性：80～90年，甚至100年雌雄虎鲸外观区别(上雄下雌),虎鲸的体型极为粗壮，是海豚科中体型最大的物种。头部呈圆锥状，没有突出的嘴喙。大而高耸的背鳍位于背部中央，其形状有高度变异性，雌鲸与未成年虎鲸的背鳍呈镰刀形，而成年雄鲸则多半如棘刺般直立，高度约1至1.8米。胸鳍大而宽阔，大致呈圆形，这点与大多数海豚科成员的典型镰刀状背鳍不同。上、下颚各有10至14对大而尖锐的牙齿作为武器，每颗牙大概有8厘米。在海湾的浅水地带，它还喜欢用尾巴去钩拉海藻，发出“呼呼”的声音，不久，浑身就披满了半透明的海草。虎鲸的体色图样主要由黑与白这两种对比分明的色彩组成，位于身体腹面的白色区域自下颚往后延伸至肛门处，在全黑的胸鳍之间变得狭窄，到了肚脐后方产生分歧，尾鳍腹面亦为白色。背部与体侧皆为黑色，但在生殖裂附近的侧腹处有白色斑块，眼睛斜后方亦有明显的椭圆形白斑。在背鳍后方有呈灰至白色的马鞍状斑纹。习性虎鲸时常会有跃身击浪、浮窥等行为，或是以尾鳍或胸鳍拍击水面。虎鲸的泳速最快可达时速55千米，可闭气17分钟左右。当周遭空气凉爽时，通常可看见它们低矮而呈树枝状的喷气。它们对船只的反应多样，冷漠忽视或是充满好奇心都有可能。偶尔会集体搁浅，群体有时会被困在潮池或海湾中。在北极与南极海域，因为风吹而快速产生的浮冰对虎鲸而言是一大麻烦，有时会因此迫使它们停留于水面开阔的小水域里相当长的时间。虎鲸喜欢群居的生活，有2～3只的小群，也有40～50只的大群，每天总有2～3个小时静静地待在水的表层，因为肺部充满了足够的空气，所以能够安然地漂浮在海面上，露出巨大的背鳍。群体成员间的胸鳍经常保持接触，显得亲热和团结。如果群体中有成员受伤，或者发生意外失去了知觉，其他成员就会前来帮助，用身体或头部连顶带托，使其能够继续漂浮在海面上，就是在睡觉时也扎成一堆，这是为了互相照应，并保持一定程度的清醒。它们在一起旅行，用食，以种群为社会组织，在广大的家庭中休息，互相依靠着生存长大。食性虽然它的牙齿非常坚硬，但却不如鲨鱼的牙齿那样锋利，因此主要用于摄取而不是咀嚼，而被它叼住的食物都是整个吞下的。虎鲸的食物多样，由小型结群鱼类、鱿鱼(枪乌贼)，一直到大型须鲸与抹香鲸都有可能成为它们的猎物；其他的如海豹等鳍脚类动物、海龟、海豚、海狗、海獭、海牛、儒艮、鲨鱼、魟等，甚至还有鹿与麋鹿，似乎是趁它们游泳横渡水道时伺机捕食。甚至会利用涨潮冲到海岸边，捕捉来不及逃走的海豹、企鹅。各群似乎有自己偏好的食物种类，例如某些族群主要以鲑鱼、鲔鱼、或鲱鱼等鱼类为主要食物，某些群则会巡视鳍脚类的登陆地寻找猎物，或跟随迁徙中的鲸群，有如狼群追踪北美驯鹿的情景。虎鲸显然需要合作以袭击并制服大型猎物，但它们也会合力将鱼群集中成一个大球，然后轮流钻入取食。虎鲸也会偷吃延绳钓渔船上钩的鱼获，或吃食渔民丢弃的下杂鱼等。它们似乎会选择性的咬食须鲸的舌头。其猎物可能深受对虎鲸的恐惧所影响，当虎鲸出现时鳍脚类会逃往陆地或冰上，鲸豚则会游入浅水域或藏匿于浮冰的裂隙间。
