Killer whales, or orcas, are apex saltwater predators, swimming through every ocean and dining on a remarkable variety of prey — even slaughtering great white sharks for their livers and killing blue whales. At Live Science, you can learn all about these phenomenal mammals, including why orca males are burnouts and the reason killer whales get sick in captivity. Marvel at extremely rare white killer whales and other exciting sightings with the latest orca news, features and articles from our expert writers and editors.
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Killer whales sink another boat off the coast of Spain — why are they still doing this after 6 years?A small, endangered pod of orcas off Spain and Portugal has sunk at least eight boats since 2020, and despite speculation, the real explanation might have nothing to do with revenge.
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'It was unlike anything I'd witnessed before': Orcas seen headbutting a sunfish so hard that it explodedIn two encounters in the Gulf of California, one orca held a dead sunfish in place while another rammed it at high speed, breaking the carcass into what appear to be bite-sized pieces for younger whales.
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'More questions than answers': Experts baffled by Alaskan mammal-eating orcas spotted near SeattleThree orcas from Alaska surfaced in the waters between Washington state and Canada in March, an area where they've never been documented.
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Chewed-up orca fins on Russian beach point to cannibalism, and scientists say it may explain why some pods are so tight-knitDetached orca fins scored with distinctive tooth marks suggest that killer whale cannibalism is happening — and it might explain some complex orca societies.
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Orcas are adopting terrifying new behaviors. Are they getting smarter?From sinking boats and feasting on shark livers to dining on whale tongue and tossing porpoises around for fun, orcas are displaying some fascinating — and sometimes terrifying — behaviors.
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Incredible, first-of-their-kind images show an orca being born in Norway — and the rest of its pod forming a protective circleScientists with the Norwegian Orca Survey and Orca Channel have documented, for the first time and in astounding detail, the birth of an orca and the newborn's first hour.
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Orcas in the Gulf of California paralyze young great white sharks before ripping out their liversAn orca pod that made headlines last year for gutting a whale shark has struck again, this time perfecting a technique that involves paralyzing young great white sharks to eat their livers.
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'We completely freaked out': Orcas are attacking boats in Europe againIberian orcas have damaged several boats off the coast of Spain in recent weeks, leaving authorities scrambling to rescue stranded crews.
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Watch a pod of orcas pretending to drown one of their own in macabre training sessionFootage from the BBC's new nature series "Parenthood" shows orcas practicing an important blue whale-hunting technique on each other.
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