🐳 Orca report template
Three versions, one page each. Print the one for your child’s grade. The facts come from the orca page, every number with its source.
Grades 1–2
My report: the orca
Orcinus orca · Grades 1–2
| Length | 23 to 26 ft (7 to 7.9 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4 to 8 tons (3.6 to 7.3 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 30 to 50 years |
Read about it
Orcas are black and white. They are the biggest dolphins. They live in family groups called pods.
It lives in:
It eats:
The coolest thing I learned:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, home.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/orca.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/orca-orcinus-orca, checked 2026-10-30
Grades 3–4
My report: the orca
Orcinus orca · Grades 3–4
| Length | 23 to 26 ft (7 to 7.9 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4 to 8 tons (3.6 to 7.3 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 30 to 50 years |
Read about it
Orcas travel in pods, and a pod can stay together for life. A white patch sits behind each eye, and the tall fin on its back is different on every orca, so scientists can tell them apart from photos. Pods talk with clicks, whistles and calls that are special to each family.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, home.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/orca.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/orca-orcinus-orca, checked 2026-10-30
Grades 5–6
My report: the orca
Orcinus orca · Grades 5–6
| Length | 23 to 26 ft (7 to 7.9 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4 to 8 tons (3.6 to 7.3 tonnes) |
| Top speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 30 to 50 years |
Read about it
Orcas are toothed whales, and the largest members of the dolphin family. Different groups of orcas eat different foods: some pods mostly eat fish like salmon, while others hunt seals, and each pod teaches its young its own way of finding food. Female orcas live long after they stop having calves, and these grandmothers help lead their pods. Some groups, such as the orcas of the Pacific Northwest, are endangered because there are fewer salmon and more boat noise in their waters, so people work to protect rivers and salmon.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, home.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/orca.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/orca-orcinus-orca, checked 2026-10-30