5 things you think you know about killer whales that are actually wrong
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The biggest misconception about killer whales is in the name: "whales." These creatures are actually dolphins that are known to kill whales.
Here are five of the biggest misconceptions about the species.
They're highly social creatures that travel in pods and communicate in their own special language.
But there are a few common misconceptions about these amazing animals.
Like other members of the dolphin family, orcas' bodies are built to be aerodynamic, and like dolphins, they're some of the fastest creatures in the ocean, reaching speeds over 30 miles per hour.
Orcas are not called killer whales because they're whales that kill humans. In fact, there are no verified accounts of an orca killing a human in the wild.
Over the years, that got reversed to "killer whale," leading to the misconception that they are a member of the whale family.
Contrary to popular belief, orcas are actually pretty picky eaters.
The whole species does have a wide range of food, including fish, seals and sea lions, dolphins and large whales, squids, and even seabirds, according to WDC.
Individual orcas typically learn to eat what their family eats, and they aren't likely to stray from the pod's standard diet.
Killer whales live in every ocean in the world, and they have many different subspecies, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Also, the AT1 Transient subspecies, native to the Pacific Ocean, was marked as depleted in 2004, according to NOAA.
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