Killer whale, (Orcinus orca), also called orca, largest member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae). The killer whale is easy to identify by its size and its striking coloration: jet black on top and pure white below with a white patch behind each eye, another extending up each flank, and a variable “saddle patch” just behind the dorsal fin. Despite the fact that this cetacean is a powerful carnivore, there is no record of its having killed humans in the wild. Dozens of killer whales have been kept in captivity and trained as performers, a practice that in the 21st century was increasingly viewed as unethical.

The largest males attain a length of more than 10 metres (32.8 feet) and a weight of about 9,800 kg (about 10 metric tons or 11 short [U.S.] tons), whereas females reach about 8.5 metres (27.8 feet) and weigh significantly less than males. Males also have proportionally larger appendages, with flippers up to 2 metres (6.6 feet) long—approximately 20 percent of the body length—and almost 1 metre (3.3 feet) wide. Flipper length among females is 11–13 percent of body length. The dorsal fin of older males is very tall (up to 1.8 metres [5.9 feet]) and straight; females and young males have a dorsal fin that is about half that size and distinctly sickle-shaped (falcate). The skull is a metre or more in length and holds the largest brain of all the dolphins, averaging 5.6 kg (12.3 pounds). The muscles that close the mouth are enormous, and within the jaws is a set of more than 40 interlocking curved teeth. Most of the teeth are large, measuring about 10 cm (4 inches) long and 4 cm (1.6 inches) wide.

The killer whale has a patchy distribution in all oceans, from the polar ice caps to the Equator, where large prey such as tuna, salmon, and seals are abundant. Other food sources are squids, sea lions, penguins, whales, and porpoises. In the North Pacific several populations live along the Alaskan coast, in the intracoastal waterways of British Columbia and Washington, and off the coast of Baja California. In the North Atlantic they can be found from the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador to Iceland, Norway, and the British Isles. In the Southern Hemisphere killer whales can be seen off the coasts of Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, and the Galapagos Islands.

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