Orca (killer whale)

The ocean's top predator

An orca is not really a whale — it's the biggest dolphin in the world! Black and white, 9 metres long. Orcas live in families, and grandma is the leader. Each family has its own 'language'. They hunt together: they make a wave to wash a seal off the ice. In the wild, orcas have never attacked a person.

The orca (Orcinus orca) is the largest member of the dolphin family (9 m, 6 tonnes), found in all oceans from the Arctic to the Antarctic. It is the ocean's apex predator, hunting fish, seals, even great white sharks and large whales. It lives in matriarchal families (pods); old females live to 90 and lead through experience — one of the few animals with menopause. Each pod has its own dialect and hunting techniques (culture): in Norway they spin herring into a 'carousel', in Argentina they beach themselves to catch seals. Echolocation lets them see in the dark. The name 'killer whale' comes from their hunting of whales.

Fun facts

• An orca family is led by grandma — she lives to 90.
• Orcas even hunt great white sharks — sharks flee when they see them.
• Each orca family has its own 'dialect' — another family may not understand it.