A killer whale is a marine mammal belonging to the dolphin family. Easily recognizable thanks to its big dorsal fin and its black and white color (black back and white chest and sides). It counts among the marine mammal the most spread in the world. Contrary to its name and to the legends, a wild killer whale does not attack men.

Great hunters, killer whales exclusively feed on fish, though some types hunt marine mammals, even attacking whales sometimes! Killer whales are very sociable and live in large groups. They also hunt in group very efficiently.

Male killer whales can reach 26 ft long and weigh as much as 6 tons. Female are a lot smaller and weigh no more than 4 tons. The largest killer whale ever recorded was a little less than 30 ft and weighed about 18,000 lbs!

Since killer whales are very impressive and beautiful animals, they became very popular and some were captured to be trained and make shows in aquatic parks. Most of them are now bred in captivity and have never swum in the ocean. Some have even become famous, like Shamu in SeaWorld, San Diego, who is acclaimed like a rock star by children fans, especially when he lifts one of the trainer up to the sky! The movie Free Willy also was a great commercial success, it recounts the story of a young boy abandoned by his mother who becomes friend with a captive killer whale, that he eventually help escaping from its aquatic park.