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Killer whale advocates point out it has a long heritage. Indeed, the genus name Orcinus means "of the kingdom of the dead". Killer whales are apex predators, meaning that they themselves have no natural predators. They are sometimes called the wolves of the sea, because they hunt in groups like wolf packs.
The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, it is found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.
The killer whale known as Old Tom swims alongside a whaleboat, flanking a whale calf. The boat is being towed by a harpooned whale (not visible here). The killers of Eden or Twofold Bay killers [1] were a group of killer whales (Orcinus orca) known for their co-operation with human hunters of cetacean species.
Orcas or killer whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and several distinct populations or types have been documented or suggested. Three to five types of orcas may be distinct enough to be considered different races , [ 1 ] subspecies , or possibly even species [ 2 ] (see species problem ).
Killer Whales: Wolves of the Sea 6 March 1994 David Attenborough Killer whale: 4 Toadskin Spell 13 March 1994 Robert Lindsay: Frogs and toads: 5 Island of the Ghost Bear 20 March 1994 John Sparks American black bear: 6 Webs of Intrigue 27 March 1994 Gladiator spider, Australian funnel-web spider: 7
The genus Orcinus was published by Leopold Fitzinger in 1860, [4] its type species is the orca named by Linnaeus in 1758 as Delphinus orca.Taxonomic arrangements of delphinids published by workers before and after Fitzinger, such as John Edward Gray as Orca in 1846 and Orca (Gladiator) in 1870, are recognized as synonyms of Orcinus.
Old Tom (c. 1860s/1895 – September 1930) was a male orca (killer whale) who cooperated with and assisted whalers in the port of Eden, New South Wales, on the southeast coast of Australia. Old Tom was believed to be the leader of a pod of orcas which helped the whalers by herding baleen whales into Twofold Bay . [ 1 ]
Tilikum was the largest orca in captivity. [8] He measured 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in length and weighed about 12,500 pounds (5,700 kg). [9] His pectoral fins were 7 feet (2.1 m) long, his fluke curled under, and his 6.5-foot-tall (2.0 m) dorsal fin was collapsed completely to his left side.