The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus Orcinus, it is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, it inhabits a wide range of marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.

Orcas (also known as killer whales) are marine mammals. They belong to the sub-order of toothed whales (known as odontocetes) but are also the largest member of the dolphin family. Orcas are incredibly popular as they are the most widely distributed of all whales and dolphins, found in every single ocean!

What are orcas? Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators. They're immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white...

Found in every ocean in the world, they are the most widely distributed of all cetaceans (whales and dolphins). Scientific studies have revealed many different populations with several distinct ecotypes (or forms) of killer whales worldwide—some …

5 天之前 · More than 20 species names have been applied to the killer whale, but a consensus now recognizes only O. orca. Killer whales were formerly referred to as grampuses, but that term is now a synonym for Risso’s dolphin.

2025年1月28日 · Orcas are often called killer whales, even though they almost never attack humans. They live in every ocean around the world, from the warm waters near the equator to the icy depths around...

2024年4月19日 · Orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are among the ocean's most captivating inhabitants. Reknowned for their striking beauty and complex social structures orcas have long fascinated scientists and the public alike.

Also called “orcas,” killer whales are incredibly intelligent predators, which hunt a variety of prey species. Because killer whales can be kept in human care, we conduct more thorough scientific research about them than some of the other whale species. Read on to …

Next to humans, orcas are the most widely distributed mammal. Orcas inhabit all oceans of the world but are most numerous in the Arctic, the Antarctic and areas in nutrient-rich cold water upwellings. They have been sighted along the shores of Washington, Oregon, California, Baja California, and along the eastern coast of the United States.

Did you know that orcas (killer whales) are the largest member of the dolphin family? With their distinctive black and white patterning and huge dorsal fins, a pod of orcas powering through the waves is one of the most impressive sights in the natural world.