orcas are a species of dolphin, but all dolphins belong to the sub-order Odontoceti (toothed whales). the "whale" in the name "killer whale" is not an incorrect descriptor. i think it is stupid to tell people that they shouldn't call them killer whales (and yes, i see a lot of people do this)
shachi 🌼
 @shachimu
Nov 7
the “orcas are not whales, they shouldn’t be called killer whales” crowd hates to see her coming

Nov 9, 2025 · 4:26 AM UTC

350
1,375
18
18,042
Replying to @shachimu
Went to Eden, a town in Australia that's pretty much entirely dedicated to them. There's a good museum there. Friend took a shot of me examining their old lighthouse lens. He tried to make fun of me for talking about the sun valve the same way
5
Replying to @shachimu
It does make me wonder where orcas got that unfortunate moniker, though.
1
Replying to @shachimu
I've heard the "killer whales aren't whales" since the early 90s... never really fact checked it before, I knew they were classified with dolphins but not that dolphins themselves were a sub classification of whales
Replying to @shachimu @jronwan
Orcas are ASSHOLES.
1
Replying to @shachimu
The more you know! Now if only we could think of a better name, maybe Orca Whale? Or is that redundant? Serious question!
Replying to @shachimu @0rcazone
So all dolphins are whales? What about porpoises!
1
Replying to @shachimu
How Shachi feels right now on top of this hill;
2
166
Replying to @shachimu
I see
22
GIF
Replying to @shachimu
To be honest, this is the first time I've heard that Shashi is called Killer Whale in English.
2
GIF
Replying to @shachimu
oh that is actually interesting to know O:
2
Replying to @shachimu
1
GIF
Replying to @shachimu
That's some very cool stuff I learned today :D
24
Replying to @shachimu
Should we just call them Murder Dolphins?
GIF
Replying to @shachimu
on the one hand: sperm whales are also odontocetes, so I see your point. On the other hand, so are dolphins and no one calls them whales. Colloquially, it seems people only call things whales if they're big, or a smaller version of a whale. So I guess 'killer whale' is fine.
2
Replying to @shachimu
Okay whale nerd (never change), you confinced me but why are they called "killer"? are they evil?
9
1
Replying to @shachimu
She just really "erm ackshuallay'd" herself. We love to see it
2
7
Replying to @shachimu
Huh. I knew about the "technically they're dolphins" part, but the Odontoceti sub-order part is new. ... I wish to subscribe to orca facts 👀
1
Replying to @shachimu
I personally dislike the term killer whale just because I consider it misleading! The “killer” part makes them seem extremely aggressive (specially against humans because we are egocentric), and the “whale” part makes people forget they are closer to dolphins than other whales.
1
1
Replying to @shachimu
oh my god someone whos also super into and hyperfixated on orcas and knows a lot about them thank you
1
70
Replying to @shachimu
My understanding of orcas be changing throughout my life... thought they were whales... then everyone said they were sharks... now we back to whales... what are they? are orcas even real?
1
Replying to @shachimu
Random fact: In Swedish they are called ” Späckhuggare” which basically means Blubber chomper… I love killer whales and ocean life sm 🥹✨
1
14
Replying to @shachimu
if my memory serves me right i once heard that the term killer whale actually stems from an earlier term that was used by old sailors that saw them hunt/kill other whales and called them whale killers, which with time somehow got flipped into killer whales 🤓
Replying to @shachimu
I always thought it was because of the Killer rather than the Whale part. Yeah they're excellent hunters but I remember as a kid watching a nature documentary that said people's fear of "killer" whales was hampering conservation efforts.
Replying to @shachimu
☝️🤓
282
Replying to @shachimu
shachi getting into the deep facts whoa. thank you for this lore dump, i misunderstood the og post. i still did use the term killer whale but now i understand part of where it comes from
18
Replying to @shachimu
The name comes from them being called asesina ballenas (whale killers) by Spanish sailors of the time and that got reversed over time. They are the largest dolphin species and all dolphins are a type of whale, so technically a whale.
Replying to @shachimu
We should all agree to call them translations of the Danish name, spækhugger, which means lard chopper
Replying to @shachimu
See, but this is what I like about folks. They give out info. It's just good stuff to know in general lol little facts and bits of info here and there. There's too much information in the world, and everyone misses quite a bit of it! Thank you for giving us this!
Replying to @shachimu
its what we call, rather broath to call orcas whales, however, theres not many other killers amongs those that can be called whales, hence, its a fair name... I myself use the name orca just because I like the sound of it.
Replying to @shachimu
So kkiller whale is killer whale or orca is killer whale??
Replying to @shachimu
Question, if I may: what do they have against speedy blue hedgehogs? Hurry, please, Mr. John Sega's coming to collect our papers. He's closing in on my desk, there's still time--
Replying to @shachimu
Orca whales are my irrational fear, theyre too smart for their own good and I don't like it. On a slightly related note, moose are labeled as common prey for the killer whale as they often hunt them as they swim from island to island.
Replying to @shachimu
With a clarification should be enough, if not, then it's more about them than the info itself.
1
Replying to @shachimu
It’s an odd sort of gatekeeping, for sure. I guess it’s just the trendy thing these days to reject harsh sounding words like “killer”, but I also think it’s kind of silly.
Replying to @shachimu
If I find a child calling them "whale killers" how should I go about correcting them without shattering their worldview?
Replying to @shachimu
Interesting— but can you tell me which land mammals are the closest genetic relatives to whales?
Load more