Fact: Killer whales aren't really whales at all but are really the world's biggest dolphin.

Killer whales are also known as orca from their Latin scientific name Orcinus orca. The English translation of Orcinus is “of or belonging to the realm of the dead” and orca means “ a kind of whale” (Hoyt 1990). It is clear from this that these animals were once feared by people. In fact, probably the earliest written description of killer whales dates back to the first century AD and refers to them as “an enormous mass of flesh armed with savage teeth” and the “enemy of other whales” (Hoyt 1990). Though killer whales are not savage killing machines, there is some truth to this as this species does have a diverse diet including fish, squid, seals, birds, dolphins, porpoise and even some other whales (though not other killer whales).

Today’s descriptions of killer whales are a little less dramatic, and encompass a much greater understanding of their ecology, biology and relationships to other whales. In fact, killer whales are really dolphins - the world's biggest. This explains the shape of the female killer whale fin, which is relatively short at one metre (3 ft) in height and curved at the back. Mature male killer whales are much bigger than females, sometimes growing to almost 10 metres (30 ft) long with two metre (6 ft) tall dorsal fins! That is the same length as our zodiac-style boats!

From scientific study, we have also learned that there are different kinds of killer whales around the world. Some appear to only eat fish, and others appear to only eat mammals. In British Columbia, the fish-eaters are referred to as ‘residents’, and the mammal-eaters are referred to as ‘transients’. We see both resident and transient killer whales on our wildlife excursions – sometimes even in one trip!

In 1970, the late Dr. Mike Bigg began scientific research on killer whales in British Columbia with the goal of assessing the population status. He developed a technique call photo-identification for individual whale recognition. Since his study began, it has been determined that the same families are seen from year to year. The whales are recognized by the unique pigmentation patterns of the saddle patches (the saddle is located in the middle of their back, just behind the fin). It has also been determined that the resident killer whales spend their entire lives with their maternal families.

The population number changes each year with the number of births and deaths that occur annually. As of July 2008, the Center for Whale Research, based on San Juan Island, recorded the population to be up from the previous year, with a total of 83 killer whales (Center for Whale Research July 2008 population update).

Related families spend a lot of time together, especially in the summer and fall. They can be seen socializing, hunting, traveling or even resting. Groups of related families are called pods. Scientists have named our three resident pods with the letters J, K and L . On-board each of the Prince of Whales vessels are photo-identification charts that allow us to identify which individuals we are watching.

The southern resident killer whales of British Columbia visit the inland waters near Victoria in the spring, summer and autumn to feed on salmon - one of their favourite prey items. Killer whales spend a lot of time feeding; it takes a lot of fish to feed a five ton female killer whale and her entire family (males are estimated to weigh up to 10 tons). When feeding they often take three or four breaths at the surface then disappear underwater for about five minutes (which feels a lot longer when you are waiting patiently at the surface). However, the dive times can vary up to nearly 10 minutes! This is simply amazing when you consider that they are not breathing that entire time, yet are active chasing and catching fish.

Young killer whales are rather playful and are sometimes seen pushing pieces of kelp on their noses or trailing it along on their tails. Youngsters will often push each other around, rolling on top of one another, during play time. Sometimes even the adult killer whales will exhibit surface active behaviours that are thought to relate their sub-surface behaviours. These can include slapping their tails on the ocean surface or even jumping out of the water. This is called a breach, and is the highlight of any whale watching trip.

When southern resident killer whales are hunting, socializing or playing, they often spend a lot of time communicating with each other. At Prince of Whales we have hydrophones (underwater microphones) that allows us to listen in on their underwater communications. Some scientists are actually able to identify each different pod by the types of calls they make. Just like people, killer whales are recognizable by the way they communicate.Literature Cited

Hoyt, E. 1990. Orca The Whale Called Killer. Robert Hale Limited, London.
Center for Whale Research. July 2005. Population update available at whaleresearch

Size  - to a maximum length of 9 metres
Colour - distinctive black on the back and white on the belly pattern, with a gray patch behind the dorsal fin
Dorsal Fin  - curved towards the back up, to 1.8 metres in height, in the middle of the back
Can Be Confused With - dall’s porpoises sometimes mistaken as ‘baby’ killer whales, false killer whale

Click here to proceed to the Wild Whales website