The killer whale, often known as the orca (Orcinus orca), is a toothed whale that is the biggest member of the marine dolphin family. It has a black body with a white underbelly and spots around each eye, making it easily identifiable. Killer whales eat a wide variety of food, however certain populations specialize on specific sorts of prey. Some just eat fish, while others hunt marine animals like as seals and other dolphin species. Baleen whale calves and even adult whales have been known to be attacked by them. No other species preys on killer whales, making them apex predators.

Killer whales are a cosmopolitan species that can be found in all of the world’s oceans in a range of marine habitats, from the Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas, with the Baltic and Black seas, as well as some portions of the Arctic Ocean, being the only exceptions. They are extremely sociable; certain populations are made up of the most stable matrilineal family units (pods) of any animal species. Their complex hunting methods and vocal behaviors, which are typically unique to a given group and passed down through generations, have been dubbed “animal culture manifestations.”

Because two or more killer whale types are likely to be distinct species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature rates the orca’s conservation status as data poor. Due to prey depletion, habitat loss, contamination (including PCBs), capture for marine animal parks, and conflicts with human fisheries, certain local populations are deemed vulnerable or endangered. The southern resident killer whales, which swim in British Columbia and Washington state waters, were put on the U.S. endangered species list in late 2005. List of Endangered Species

Although wild killer whales are not considered a threat to people and have never been reported in a deadly assault, captive orcas have been known to murder or injure their handlers at marine theme parks. Killer whales are prominent in indigenous cultures’ mythology, and their reputation in many civilizations ranges from being human souls to ruthless murderers.

Orcinus orca is the only known living species in the genus Orcinus, and one of several animal species first described by Carl Linnaeus in his influential Systema Naturae in 1758. In his Piscium & aquatilium animantium natura of 1558, part of the broader Historia animalium, Konrad Gessner published the earliest scientific account of a killer whale, based on an investigation of a dead stranded animal in the Bay of Greifswald that had piqued local curiosity.

The killer whale is one of 35 species of marine dolphins that originally existed around 11 million years ago. Shortly after, the killer whale lineage most likely split. Despite physical similarities to the false killer whale, pygmy killer whale, and pilot whales, cytochrome b gene sequences reveal that its closest living relatives are the genus Orcaella’s snubfin dolphins. However, according to a newer (2018) research, the orca belongs to the Lissodelphininae, a clade that includes Lagenorhynchus and Cephalorhynchus.

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