(Cojessmom/Playback)
Reader’s question Ana Clara Vilela, Três Corações, MG
Because they really are killers – but of whales! Spanish fishermen created the nickname “whale killer” when seeing them in action in the 18th century. But the bad reputation only became popular in the 1970s, thanks to a film whose title misrepresented the old nickname: Orca – The Killer Whale it showed an animal seeking revenge against the fishermen who killed his family.
The problem is that the orca is not even a whale. Intelligent and sociable, it is actually a large relative of the dolphin. Attacks on humans are extremely rare, and most happen in captivity. The most famous case is that of Tilikum, who killed his trainer at Sea World park, in the USA, in 2010, and inspired the documentary blackfish. In the wild, there is only one recorded case of an orca bite.
- Tilikum died in January 2017 of a lung infection.
SOURCES National Geographic, Herald Tribune, BBC It is WWF