WorldWideWhale.com
A Web site dedicated to Cetaceans, the whales and dolphins of this blue planet,
and the people who fight to save them.
and the people who fight to save them.
Orca Whales
Orca Whales or Orcinus orca is second only to humans as the most widely distributed mammal on earth. Known as "Killer Whales," historically their reputation has been that of ferocious man-eaters, although there has never been a documented acocount of an orca attacking a human being. Even their classification comes from the Latin word orcinus which means "of or belonging to the realms of the dead." Some cultures however, had a different view of the orca whale. Native peoples regarded the killer whale with high esteem and thought it brought to them strength, health and food. The Nootka Indians of Vancouver Island used the whale as a focal point of social, cultural and relgious life, calling them "blackfish."
We've come a long way from the 1950's when the U.S. Air Force used killer whales off the coast of Iceland for target practice, using machine guns, rockets and depth charges to slaughter several thousand animals, because fishermen complained that the whales were destroying their nets. As late as 1964, the Air Force used them as targets for strafing runs in the Atlantic. The popularity of the movie "Free Willy" has brought the plight of the orca whale into the public's conscience and while their numbers continue to decline, the focus is now on protection rather than slaughter.
As evidenced by this photograph, orca whales are "toothed" whales
and the largest of the dolphin family, Delphinidae.