Killer Whales

  Orca pods have a complex social structure similar to elephants in that they are matriarchal in structure, and the female members are part of the pod for life. the males move between pods within a regional group. When young are born they are helped in swimming to the surface to breath and given piggy back rides to help them cover longer distances with the pod. They nurse on milk for up to two years. Because they don’t have lips, the female basically sprays milk into the babies mouth. Each pod has a distinct culture, including unique language dialects, migration patterns and hunting tactics. This forms a big part of how young Orcas are cared for. The older members of the pod spend a great deal of time passing the culture on. The young are presented with injured prey to learn to kill, for example, and shown where traditional rubbing spots are (Orcas use certain underwater rocks to exfoliate their skin, some as part of a migratory route, some in a residence area depending on the culture)

  I read that a trainer was killed by a killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010 but it doesn't change the fact that these giants, they do not kill humans at sea. They have never killed a human in the wild. That's mostly because, unlike sharks, killer whales don't frequent near-shore areas where people swim. Even  shark attacks  on humans are generally accidental, sharks mistaking humans for seals or other typical food.   The orca that killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010 probably didn't intentionally kill the trainer. A SeaWorld trainer said “possibly the killer whale just got bored, since their lives in captivity are more confined than at sea where they spend time swimming hundreds of miles while hunting or playing “.   In general, killer whales are very intelligent and playful animals, amusing themselves anything from kelp to seals. But even though they are shown off at aquaria with fuzzy stuffed animals to boot, they are still wild animals and they