Top Results for Killer Whale

Orcinus orca, commonly known as the killer whale, represents the largest species within the delphinidae family – specifically, a type of dolphin. It’s notable for its status as an apex predator found worldwide and recognized by scientists since 1758. These intelligent marine mammals are characterize...

Bigg's killer whale, formerly known as the transient killer whale, is a distinct ecotype of killer whale found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. It is named after Canadian cetologist Michael Bigg, who pioneered the use of photo-identification for studying these marine mammals. Unlike fish-eating r...

The Type B killer whale is an ecotype of orca native to the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, frequently observed in regions with extensive pack ice. It is characterized by a visually distinct coloration, specifically a yellowish tint caused by an accumulation of microscopic diatom algae on its sk...

J2, commonly referred to as Granny, was a female Southern Resident killer whale who functioned as the matriarch of J pod in the Pacific Northwest. She was observed and tracked by researchers from the Center for Whale Research for several decades. Based on demographic data and historical sightings, b...

Lolita, also known as Tokitae, was a captive orca housed at the Miami Seaquarium for over 50 years. She was captured in August 1970 from the L-25 pod in Penn Cove, Washington, belonging to the Southern Resident killer whale population. She lived in the facility's whale stadium until her death in Aug...

The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a large species of oceanic dolphin named for its visual resemblance to the true killer whale (orca). It exhibits a dark gray or black coloration and possesses a conical head without a prominent beak. This species is highly social and typically lives i...

The Type D killer whale is a distinctive, morphologically unique ecotype of killer whale found in the sub-Antarctic oceans. It is most easily recognized by its unusually small, rounded white eye patch and a more bulbous melon compared to other killer whale populations. For decades, this rare form wa...

Type A killer whales are the largest of the several genetically and morphologically distinct ecotypes of orcas found in Antarctic waters. They inhabit open ocean environments rather than pack ice, where they specialize in hunting minke whales. These killer whales are physically characterized by a me...

Type C killer whales represent the smallest of the recognized ecotypes of orcas found in Antarctic waters. They are typically observed in the dense pack ice and specialize in foraging for Antarctic toothfish. This ecotype is visually distinguished by its notably slanted, forward-oriented white eye p...

The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a large oceanic dolphin species found in tropical and temperate waters around the world. Despite its name and superficial resemblance to the orca, it is not closely related to the killer whale and belongs to the family Delphinidae. False killer whales...

Iceberg is a mature male killer whale renowned for his entirely white coloration, a rare trait among wild orcas. He was first photographed and documented in 2010 by researchers near the Commander Islands off the eastern coast of Russia. Scientists believe his striking appearance is the result of a g...

The offshore killer whale is one of three identified ecotypes of killer whales found in the eastern North Pacific. Unlike the resident and transient ecotypes, these whales are typically found far from the coast in large groups. Their diet is believed to consist primarily of fish and sharks, though t...

J1, nicknamed Ruffles, was a male Southern Resident killer whale in J pod and one of the most extensively documented individuals in the long-term photo-identification study begun by the Center for Whale Research in 1976. Estimated to have been born around 1951, he was regarded as the oldest male in...

Moby Doll was a killer whale captured in the waters of British Columbia, Canada, in 1964. Originally harpooned for a sculptor's reference, the whale survived and was transported to the Vancouver Aquarium. This event marked the first time a live orca was put on public display in an aquarium setting....

Namu was a male orca captured in 1965 near British Columbia and subsequently kept at the Seattle Marine Aquarium. He became one of the earliest orcas displayed and trained for public performances, helping change popular perceptions of killer whales as animals capable of sustained interaction with pe...

Orky was a male orca captured off British Columbia in 1968 and maintained in captivity at Marineland of the Pacific and later SeaWorld San Diego. Known as Orky II to distinguish him from an earlier animal with the same name, he was unusually large for a captive killer whale and participated in publi...

Nakai was a male killer whale, or Orcinus orca, born at SeaWorld San Diego in 2001 and held there throughout his life. In September 2012, he suffered a severe injury to the lower jaw during a performance; SeaWorld said he contacted part of the pool environment, while outside accounts debated whether...

Kalia is a female orca born in captivity and housed at SeaWorld San Diego. She became part of SeaWorld's captive-orca breeding program and was among the animals shown in or discussed in the 2013 documentary Blackfish, which examined the captivity and performance of orcas at marine parks. She is clas...

The pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata, is a small oceanic dolphin found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. It is rarely observed at sea and is distinguished by a dark body, a rounded head, and a relatively small distribution of documented sightings compared with better-kn...

The pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata, is a small oceanic dolphin in the family Delphinidae, despite its whale-based common name. It occurs mainly in deep tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, with a circumglobal range. The species has a dark, stout body, a...