Once known as the ‘Grampus’ (like Risso’s Dolphin), Orca have been well-known and associated with death since early times. Basque fishermen called them ‘Whale Killers’, and they have also been called ‘Blackfish’ – their generic name (Orcinus) means ‘from hell’, and the species name (orca) is sometimes rendered as ‘demon from hell’. With such a bad press it is surprising to find that Killer Whales are intensely social animals.
Pods
Family groups in the Northeast Pacific are composed of the grandmother, her sons and daughters, and her daughters’ children. A number of these family groups live together in a sort of extended family – known as a ‘pod’. These pods (which share a common ‘culture’ and communicate using the same ‘dialect’) largely eat fish. All these pods together form a ‘clan’.
Clans
Different clans, in other parts of the world, have developed very different hunting strategies; some killing whales out at sea; some rushing up onto beaches to get seals; others preferring sea-birds; and many more. These different clans also have different social structures and ways of communicating (listen to the song).
Killer Whale Species
There are alt least three (and maybe as many as six) types of Killer Whale (see Wikipedia). Populations in the Antarctic are sometimes separated into three distinct types (A,B & C), and those of more northerly waters are often divided into ‘Residents’ and ‘Transients’ – with yet another group (‘Offshore’) recently added. There are certainly several races, but taxonomists might eventually decide that these are distinct sub-species or even maybe species. Further research, especially genetic, will be needed.
How Intelligent are Killer Whales
It is almost pointless to try to judge whale intelligence using human criteria. We have evolved in totally different environments and our intelligences have evolved to meet different needs. Add to this the fact that we concentrate on sight and the use of our hands (compared with the whales who use sound and echo-location, and have no manipulative ability), and we really do live in different worlds. They certainly communicate with one-another, have developed distinct ‘cultures’ which are passed from one generation to the next, and lead complex social lives. Dolphins are now thought to have individual names and be ‘called by name’ by other dolphins. Whales are ‘self-aware’ and highly intelligent by any measurement, and Killer Whales are up there with the cleverest!
Whale-watching
Many people now have the opportunity to watch whales in the wild, and many more will have seen them in captivity. The more we learn, the more we respect them, and it can only be hoped that they will eventually forgive us for our past cruelty and thoughtlessness (Bowhead Whales can live for at least 100 years, certainly long enough to remember being chased by whalers and seeing their relatives die).
Main reference: Collins Wild Guide – ‘Whales and Dolphins’ by Mark Carwardine, 2006.
Other articles by John Blatchford
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