# Simple question: Killer Whale or Orca? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2012, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124 "2012-08-30T09:17:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/41 "2012-09-03T00:02:12Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > They may not cause harm to _humans_, but [killer whales](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale) have earned their name. They’re what are known as [apex predators](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predator), meaning they have no natural predators. They’re at the top of the food chain in the ocean – and yes, that includes sharks. _Orcas will eat great whites_. Yes, but you don’t think that kewt lil’ bottlenose dolphin doesn’t eat flesh. I think in general usage, killer isn’t just used to describe carnivores apex or not, just maneaters. It’s ‘lion’ and not ‘killer pussy’ It’s ‘polar bear’ and not ‘killer teddy’ It’s ‘human’ and not ‘killer monkey’ > [@njtt](#): > > “Orca” is just political correctness gone mad. 🙂 No it’s not > [@Jragon](#): > > ETA: Also, I think in about third grade my teacher conditioned us with the incorrect “Orcas aren’t whales” thing and forced you to use “Orca” when talking about them, so that’s probably the main reason. \*_/\ **Now, this is political correctness gone mad** /\*_ ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/42 "2012-09-03T06:32:36Z")
By their proper names. There was Namu, and then there was Willy. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/43 "2012-09-03T08:50:36Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Sure it is. “Whale” is a lay term, not a scientific term, and so it means what people who use it think it means. And people lump Orcas into the “whale” category. I’m “people”. And Orcas have never been whales to me. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/44 "2012-09-03T09:20:48Z")
I’ve read and studied plenty about marine mammals, mostly from about 1980 to 1984 when I assisted with real live dolphin and whale research. It was a common trope in the whale-hugging literature of the day to explain the phrase “killer whale” as a corruption of “whale killer”, referring to the fact that orcas are known to pack-attack, kill, and eat even larger whales. There was a rather famous video (by a National Geographic team, IIRC) of a pack of orcas attacking a humpback whale. The notion of “killer whale” as a corruption of “whale killer” always struck me as an absurd contrivance, promoted by people who wanted to emphasize that orcas are just big cuddly dolphins who would _never_ think of eating their killer monkey friends. Actually, orcas do seem to be mostly benign towards people. There have been people who made a point of going swimming among wild pods, and they lived to tell about it. In captivity, they become tame and docile – usually. There have been some well publicized exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/45 "2012-09-03T09:43:00Z")
Well I’m a Canucks fan so often I will say [Fin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NHL_mascots#Fin_the_Whale) GAH! and they call him a Killer Whale. No. He is an Orca. I say Orca, cause I am Canadian, live in Vancouver currently and also in the past and I say Orca. I also say Bison (not Buffalo) and Kraft Dinner (Not Mac n Cheese). ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/46 "2012-09-03T10:25:21Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Yes, but you don’t think that kewt lil’ bottlenose dolphin doesn’t eat flesh. I think in general usage, killer isn’t just used to describe carnivores apex or not, just maneaters. > > It’s ‘lion’ and not ‘killer pussy’ > It’s ‘polar bear’ and not ‘killer teddy’ > It’s ‘human’ and not ‘killer monkey’ What other animals’ names even begin with “killer”? There are “killer bees” but that’s not the actual English name of the hybrid (and they don’t eat people). In terms of genuine names for animals there is no trend that I can see to use “killer” to mean man-eaters or anything else in particular either. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/47 "2012-09-04T09:47:41Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > What other animals’ names even begin with “killer”? I’m not sure if [these](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_of_the_Killer_Tomatoes) qualify as animals.. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/48 "2012-09-04T19:51:23Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Dolphins _are_ whales. Specifically, they’re a type of toothed whale like sperm whales or pilot whales or beluga whales. So there’s nothing wrong taxinomically with the name “Killer Whale” except that they aren’t as especially vicious as the name implies (unless you are a seal I suppose). You hit my reason for preferring “orca” on the head. Orcas aren’t vicious enough to deserve the appellation “killer.” At least, they’re not vicious enough to humans. Rhymers don’t care about pinnipeds. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/49 "2012-09-04T20:31:29Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You hit my reason for preferring “orca” on the head. Orcas aren’t vicious enough to deserve the appellation “killer.” > > At least, they’re not vicious enough to humans. Rhymers don’t care about pinnipeds. When you’re viscious enough to kill great whites, I say you’ve EARNED it. Either that or Bad-Ass Whales. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/50 "2012-09-05T11:55:33Z")
You calling orcas thick? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/51 "2012-09-05T13:36:19Z")
Orca, because I’m lazy and that’s their name in Spanish and Catalan. hijack: often there’s a bit on Spanish TV (this same week, in fact) about “_ballenas_” (which refers only to baleen whales, not to all animals called “whale” in English or to all cetaceans) stuck on a beach, but the image doesn’t show _ballenas_, it shows sperm whales, orcas or bottle-nosed dolphins. Apparently the reporters just can’t be arsed check the images with the text, or don’t know that a humpback whale, a dolphin, an orca and a sperm whale have different names. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124/52 "2012-09-05T17:39:15Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You calling orcas thick? I kept reading “viscous” too. I was imagining some kind of blob engulfing unsuspecting sharks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-question-killer-whale-or-orca/633124.md?page=2)