Wild Killer Whales, Shetland today

Great experience John :)
 
Lovely set, very envious to have been able to see them in the UK..........nice.
 
gramps said:
Great experience John :)
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+1

Right… I was so impressed by something the size of a
18 wheeler swimming by the zodiac that the first time
I didn't think of taking one single shot!

We were lucky to meet them on the third day of a month
stay so I got shots later… boy, are they impressive!

Killer whales is not a groovy name for these creatures…
I have learned to call them Orcas early on!
 
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Kodiak Qc said:
Killer whales is not a groovy name for these creatures…
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May not be 'groovy' but is very appropriate when you watch them take a seal off of the ice flow!
 
gramps said:
very appropriate when you watch them take a seal off of the ice flow!
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That alone shows that they are darn clever predators!

Killer? Then all predators should be called killer mantis…
killer cats, pumas etc, killer hawks… killer everything!

Whale? As a member of a group of cetaceans, the Orca
is the largest delphinidae but not a whale by any means.

Killer Whale? I like Orca! :cool:
 
Great photos - one day, one day I will get to this part of the country - until then, i will admire your photos instead. This is part of the Icelandic population yes?

@Kodiak Qc They got their name 'killer whale' because they were observed killing whales, rather than being a whale - their prey vary depending on their habitat, certain populations in particular areas attack gray whales, even have been seen killing humpbacks calves.
 
dan_yell said:
They got their name 'killer whale' because they were observed killing whales
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Whale killer it would be then!
I witnessed a Finn Whale killed in the old days.


Wiki…

Common names

English-speaking scientists most often use the term "killer whale", although the term "orca" is
increasingly used. Killer whale advocates point out it has a long heritage. Indeed, the genus
name Orcinus means "of the kingdom of the dead", or "belonging to Orcus". Ancient Romans
originally applied orca (plural orcae to these animals, possibly borrowing it from Greek ὄρυξ,
which referred (among other things) to a whale species. Since the 1960s, "orca" has steadily
grown in popularity; both names are now used. The term "orca" is euphemistically preferred
by some to avoid the negative connotations of "killer", and because, being part of the family
Delphinidae, the species is more closely related to other dolphins than to whales.

According to some authors, the name killer whale is a mistranslation of the 18th century Spanish
name "asesina-ballenas" which means literally whale killer. Basque whalers would have given
it such name after observing pods of orcas hunting baleen whales.
 
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I think it may be dependent on the part of the world too. When i first started reading about Dr Ingrid Visser, who is a kiwi Marine biologist who is a specialist in Orca, she had said that she was surprised/didn't realise/something along those lines that they were commonly called killer whales elsewhere in the world as they had always been orca to her. If anyone is interested in reading more about orca, i recommend her book. Met her a few times at 'Whalefest' in Brighton and i think she's the bees knees :) She is me in another life if i a)had a brain b) was a kiwi c) didn't have a slight drowning phobia
 
Many thanks guys, I only took 16 shots - as they could be seen so clearly under the surface I just enjoyed the spectacle. Two powered off after a seal - the speed is incredible!

dan_yell said:
Great photos - one day, one day I will get to this part of the country - until then, i will admire your photos instead. This is part of the Icelandic population?.
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Some of these are resident around Iceland in winter. We have 3 pods that are becoming quite regular here now, with some venturing down to the north coast of Scotland.
 
Wonderfull shots and a wonderfull experience.

I have seen them in the wild when we were on an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver through The Inner Passage up to Seward.. I saw a lot off passengers running to one side of the ship so I went too. I looked down to see an adult Orca with its calf swimming alongside the ship,right in close too and it kept speed too.
 
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