orca

Everyday

1. An orca, also called a killer whale, is a large black-and-white sea mammal with a tall back fin; it is actually the biggest member of the dolphin family. tree →
2. Orcas live and hunt in family groups called pods in all the world's oceans, especially cold ones. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons orcas come up in ocean food chains (top predator — they eat fish, seals, penguins and even whales), mammals (they breathe air through a blowhole and feed their young milk) and communication: each pod has its own calls, like a family language. In conservation lessons, pupils learn about pollution and noise in the sea and debates about keeping orcas in marine parks.

Examples

• The orca is the largest kind of dolphin. tree →
• Orcas hunt together in pods. tree →
• An orca breathes through a blowhole on its head. tree →
• We saw an orca's tall black fin from the boat. tree →
• Orcas sometimes slide onto beaches to catch seals. tree →
• Each orca pod has its own calls. tree →
• Another name for the orca is the killer whale. tree →

Note

Plural «orcas»; «an orca». Trap: despite the name «killer whale», an orca is a dolphin, and wild orcas are not known to have killed people. Orcas are mammals, not fish.