Photo: Male Killer Whale Vancouver Island

A male killer of the Northern Resident clan rests for a short while in the waters off Northern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada

A lone male killer whale rests peacefully on the surface of the ocean off Northern Vancouver Island in British Columbia. How a killer whale sleeps is still a mystery but studies over the years have shown that a killer whale rests like this particular male.They have been known to sleep during the day as well as at night and usually it is for short periods of time but cases have been reported of a killer whale sleeping or resting for as long as eight hours at a time. While this male killer whale rests, it may still be swimming slowly along or making short dives that are less than a minute. Then they will make longer dives of up to about three minutes.While watching this male killer whale sleep it gives researchers or boat captains time to get a good picture. For identification purposes, an Orca has been photographed on his left side and markings, nicks, saddle patches or characteristics of the dorsal fin are what tells each killer whale apart. ... continue below the picture...

... This male is a member of a family belonging to the Northern Resident Clan that resides around Northern Vancouver Island in the summer months. There are larger families that are known as the Southern Residents but they usually do not enter the waters past Campbell River.Transient whales are another group and off-shores are another type of killer whale. They all seem to rest or sleep in the same manner but some of their feeding and behavioral traits are different.Whale watching off Northern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada is a great place to enjoy killer whales in their natural habitat.Killer Whales off Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada