Why do they call Orka whales Killer whales?

Answer 1

Because seals are their main source of food, and if you've ever seen a video of an orca attacking a seal, its quite violent.

Answer 2

Hi,

The scientific name of the killer whale is Orcinus orca,
which is the source of where orca comes from.

The name "killer whale" causes many misconceptions about this noble beast. First, killer whales are not whales at all. They are, in fact, dolphins (the largest dolphins, actually). Second, they are not particularly violent creatures. Some are hunters, and prey on a variety of creatures, such as squid, shark, otters, sea lions, penguins, birds, octopii, dolphins, and salmon. However, there are no confirmed reports of an orca ever attacking a human being in the wild. This is, perhaps, quite surprising, given how badly the human race has treated them.

The only attacks that have ever been repoted are those from captive Orcas and even so this is very rare.

Answer 3

Orca, not Orka. I do believe the original nickname for Orca was "Whale Killer" because they do hunt whales, like Humpback calves for example. This nickname got twisted around in common usage and became "Killer Whale". Orca are the largest members of the Dolphin Family.

Answer 4

In addition to the above answers, they are quite skilled hunters. Calves learn from their mothers all sorts of techniques for capturing prey. In the north certain pods have learned to lay on one end of an iceberg, causing the seal at the other end to slide down toward the orca. Another pod has learned how to "beach" itself to catch seals on the shore. Some orcas like to play with their food before they eat it, much likes cats play with mice before they eat them. This could certainly be interpreted as a "killer".

Answer 5

The term was first used back in the early 13th century, when sailors described seeing these whales with huge teeth and gaping maws, and instantly tagged them as killers.

Answer 6

I heard recently on National Geographic program, they are called killer whales because they kill other whales.

Answer 7

They are carnivorous whales. They attack and eat seals. Other whales are also carnivorous but Orcas do it where we can see them so they seem vicious killers

Answer 8

Because they don't eat krill. They eat larger prey, such as sharks and seals. They have sharp, pointy teeth instead of the filter thing on other whales.