On World Wildlife Day, we"re in the ice-cold waters around the Norwegian island of Spildra with a pod of orcas, also known as killer whales. These apex predators are at the top of the food chain with a diet that includes a smorgasbord of sea creatures including fish, penguins, and even sharks and whales. They hunt in pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals that work together using special hunting techniques sometimes likened to packs of wolves. Despite their scary name, they almost never attack humans and there are no documented cases of wild orcas killing anyone. The name "killer whale" is thought to come from Spanish sailors who saw groups of them hunting big whales. Orcas are also the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family, Delphinidae.
Killer whales in Spildra, Norway
Today in History
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Flag Day
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Traveling warblers
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Andean cocks-of-the-rock, Ecuador
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The Belogradchik Rocks in Bulgaria
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Lands End, Cornwall, England
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The lemurs of Madagascar
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Talk like a pirate—or walk the plank
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A valley view at 9,000 feet
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Ode to the sun
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Tennis in the park
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Atlanta Botanical Garden
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Total solar eclipse
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Halloween
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Irohazaka road
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World Turtle Day
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Headed to the High Country
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Wallabies at sunrise, Australia
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Morocco in bloom
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Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC
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Last day of National Park Week
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Sharp-dressed bug
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A snuggling ball of cute
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Oktoberfest begins
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Panda Day
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World Elephant Day
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Fresh water on the Silk Road
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Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington
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World Art Day
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