2007-07-20 20:12:53 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
In rebuttal to Dawnsdad, my point is we should call them Killer Jumbo Dolphins then, not whales. Technically they are not whales.
2007-07-22 18:31:42 · update #1
The bald-faced hornet is a yellow-jacket, not a hornet. Some people want to call it the bald-faced yellow-jacket but it just doesn't sound right, nor does killer dolphins. The black rhino is gray. The white rhino is gray. When it comes to animal names they should be taken with a grain of salt because they aren't necessarily true. A black flying fox is actually a bat, not a fox. The Sunda flying lemure doesn't fly nor is it a true lemur. Never totally believe just a name in zoology.
Edit: Wait a minute. It appears dolphins actually are whales. But my point remains the same. A hornet is a wasp but we don't call the European hornet a "European wasp". If it is a specific kind of whale, or specific kind of wasp, it should be reflected in the name, you would think.
2007-07-21 06:57:14 · answer #1 · answered by Professor Armitage 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dolphins, killer whales (orcas), and all other whales belong to the Order Cetacea. Within Cetacea there are two sub-orders. Mysteceti- the baleen whales like the blue whale which feed primarily on plankton; and Odontoceti- toothed whales which includes dolphins, orcas, sperm whales, belugas, etc.
They are called "killer whales" because they are in fact whales. Within the toothed whales, their closest relatives are the dolphins, all belonging to the Family Delphinidae. They aren't the same species though, there are many species of dolphins throughout the world including bottle-nosed, spinner, Risso's, and dusky dolphins as well as the true Orcas.
They got the "killer" moniker because of their diet which consists largely of other mega-vertebrates such as large fish, seals, sea lions, etc. A better name for them is the Orca.
2007-07-21 03:13:38 · answer #2 · answered by friedlander1120 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, technically, dolphins belong to the species of toothed whales. They are called "killer" because they are the only kind of whale which hunts warm-blooded prey, including other whales.
2007-07-20 22:47:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Being called as the Killer Whales based upon this species' unique and awesome power and ability to kill not only whales much larger than itself, but just about any species of marine mammal it desires, including, seals, sea lions, walruses, dolphins and porpoises. The power, skill and intensity of this animal's hunting and killing prowess has been legendary thus namee as Killer Whale.
2007-07-20 20:59:36 · answer #4 · answered by ♥ lani s 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because they are killers...........and kill whales.
I saw a Discovery Channel episode on these creatures.
I watched as they attacked a Grey whale and her calf returning to Alaska up the California coast.
They separated the mother and baby.
It took 6 hours of brutally drowning and pounding on the baby.
It eventually died.
They ate only the tongue and the jaw.
That just seemed cruel and really didn't kill for food.......but killed to kill.
So now when I see these killer whales in captivity like Sea-world........it doesn't bother me in the least.
I guess you can tell I'm partial to the Grey whale of the California Coast.
2007-07-22 07:00:31 · answer #5 · answered by Isabella 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because they are fearsome predators, and they're about as big as a small whale. If you don't like the name, call them orcas. Orca is another name for a killer whale.
2007-07-20 21:43:55 · answer #6 · answered by S N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wolphins are fake killer whales and dolphins, yet I digress using fact the DNA of the two species ought to be fairly close (like that of a chimpanzee and a human, ninety 8%+) EDIT: wager i replace into improper =p leolupus wins lower back. And there have been scientists who tried with chimps and orangutans... we've been given not something. i think that we would desire to interbeed with something like a Neanderthal although. And why does it may be referred to as "enjoying god?" why is there a cut back to how lots technology we can study? human beings reported the invention of the airplane replace into enjoying god. human beings reported finding on the celebrities replace into enjoying god. human beings reported dissecting bodies replace into enjoying god...
2016-10-22 05:52:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I assume your question is not why are they called "killer" whales, but rather why are they called killer "whales" rather than killer "dolphins".
Same reason we call sea horses sea "horses"
Or jelly fish jelly "fish"
Or Koalas Koala "bears"
Or Pandas Panda "bears"
Or Sea Lions Sea "lions"
In some cases the people who named them honestly thought they were something different than they really are (Pandas, Orcas) and in some cases, they just reminded people of other things (sea "horses"). In German, "Bat" is called "Fledermaus" but it is not a "maus" (= mouse).
2007-07-20 22:57:51 · answer #8 · answered by Curious George 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why not. Just because they're dolphins doesn't mean they don't kill for their meals. They are predators. They kill and eat other animals in the most barbaric and primitive way. It's OK. That's nature.
By the way. Cute cuddly little dolphins do the same thing.
2007-07-20 20:16:24 · answer #9 · answered by dawnsdad 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mainly because they are big and they kill things. Imagine the committee where they named it? What are we going to call this giant dolphin big enough to be a small whale that kills seals and penguins?
2007-07-20 20:27:22 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋