Killer whale
Killer whales in the North Sea
Wildlife finder: Killer whale
Videos, audio clips and information about the killer whale species.
Where & when to see them
- There is no easy way for most people to see these particular animals.
- If you are able to get aboard a mackerel trawler in the northern North Sea, the best time of year to see this behaviour is October.
- There are other killer whale populations resident to Shetland and Scotland's west coast.
More about this species
- Project NAKID (North Atlantic Killer whale ID project)
- Earth News: Massive killer whale pod sighted
- ARKive: Orca
- Animal Diversity Web: Orcinus orca
This autumn Gordon Buchanan hitches a ride on a Shetland trawler to follow up reports on some clever killer whales.
Read his High Seas Diary entries on the 2009 Autumnwatch blog.
More about the species
The killer whale is not a whale but in fact a member of the dolphin family. Some people therefore prefer to call them orcas.
Killer whales have distinctive black and white bodies and dorsal fins that are larger in the males. Individuals can be identified by their dorsal fin shape as well as DNA samples.
They inhabit wide areas of all the world's oceans but many social groups show significant behavioural differences. While some feed on fish, others go for marine mammals including seals and other cetaceans.
Reports of killer whales associating with fishing trawlers date back to the 19th century, but only recently have studies with the populations just off the Shetland Isles begun.
These trawler-feeding pods follow shoals of mackerel from Norway around the west of Scotland and Ireland. It is thought that they recognise the sounds that trawlers make as they haul in their nets.
The whales follow the trawlers picking off mackerel from outside the nets and sucking them in through their teeth. This causes characteristic damage to their teeth, allowing researchers to see which individuals take part in suction feeding.
More Autumnwatch animals:
Latest
- Catch the Springwatch Christmas Special at 6.30pm, Weds 30 Dec on BBC Two
- From flocking birds and early flowers to buzzards and blue tits: wildlife to enjoy at winter
- Updates on the Autumnwatch beavers, harlequin ladybirds and painted ladies
- The answers to our colourscheme quiz
- Gordon blogs about getting nostalgic – and very cold – on his ptarmigan filming assignment
Elsewhere on the web
Your autumn photos
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From red deer to spiders to fungi, share your pictures of autumn.
Your Videos
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Your movies
Whether an unusual wild visitor to your garden or some truly extraordinary animal behaviour, if you've filmed it, we'd love to see it.
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