Orcas are called killer whales. The name came from whalers. It is only a name. But the orca is the largest member of the dolphin family.
Male orcas usually grow to 20 to 26 feet (6 to 8 meters) long. Females are smaller. They usually grow to 18 to 22 feet (6 to 7 meters). A grown male usually weighs 12,000 pounds (5,400 kilograms) or more. As of November 2026, the biggest orca on record weighed more than 20,000 pounds (9,000 kilograms).
Orcas live in every ocean in the world. They live in cold seas near the poles and also in warm tropical seas. As of November 2026, scientists estimate there are around 50,000 orcas in the world. Orcas live in pods. A pod is made up of a few to 20 or more whales that are related to each other.
Orcas have the most varied diet of all the whales and dolphins. But each group of orcas usually specializes in a few foods. Resident orcas eat fish, mainly salmon. Bigg's orcas, which are also called transient orcas, mostly eat marine mammals. The Southern Resident orcas of the Pacific Northwest eat mostly Chinook salmon.
Orcas hunt together as a team. Some orcas herd schools of fish into a tight ball so the fish are easier to catch. Orcas that hunt herring in Norway also slap their tails to stun the fish. Some orcas near Antarctica work together to make waves that wash seals off ice floes.
Young orcas learn how to hunt from older ones. Orcas do not follow a fixed seasonal route. They move to where the food is. Orcas in different places eat different foods.
Orcas use sound to find food, talk to each other and find their way in the water. They click and listen for the echoes. An orca hears through its lower jaw, and the sound travels on to the bones of its ear. Orcas call to each other with whistles and calls, and each pod has its own sounds.
A mother orca has one calf at a time. She is pregnant for 15 to 18 months. Female orcas live about 50 years in the wild, and some live to at least 90. Male orcas live about 30 years on average, and some reach at least 60.
Words to know
- pod: an orca family
- calf: a baby orca
- herd: gather together
- echoes: bounced sounds
