Biology

Trystan Gill

4 December, 15:37

In the North Pacific Ocean, two groups of the same species of killer whales (Orcinus orca) appear to be forming two different species based on what they eat. One group eats fish and the other eats mammals such as seals. Scientists can tell what they eat based on their teeth, because whales that feed on fish have significantly different wear patterns

Another difference between the two groups is in how they hunt. Whales that hunt fish tend to travel in large pods (groups of whales) and vocalize often. Whales that hunt seals, however, tend to travel in very small groups and vocalize very little, likely because of the excellent hearing ability of seals. If these differences brought about speciation, the separation would be considered

A) behavioral isolation.

B) habitat isolation.

C) temporal isolation.

D) mechanical isolation