On World Wildlife Day, we"re in the ice-cold waters around the Norwegian island of Spildra with a pod of orcas, also known as killer whales. These apex predators are at the top of the food chain with a diet that includes a smorgasbord of sea creatures including fish, penguins, and even sharks and whales. They hunt in pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals that work together using special hunting techniques sometimes likened to packs of wolves. Despite their scary name, they almost never attack humans and there are no documented cases of wild orcas killing anyone. The name "killer whale" is thought to come from Spanish sailors who saw groups of them hunting big whales. Orcas are also the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family, Delphinidae.
Killer whales in Spildra, Norway
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act anniversary
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Assembling the Smithsonian
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Merry Christmas!
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Spring equinox
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Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois
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Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting
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Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, China
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Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California
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Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon
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Merry Christmas!
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An aviation celebration
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Harbor and longtail boats at Ko Samui, Thailand
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Festival of British Archaeology
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Kings of the Kalahari
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The Canary Islands, Spain
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Thunderstorm above the plains, Bulgaria
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Alaska moose
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Edinburgh Art Festival
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Kochia, Hitachi, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan
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Happy Syttende Mai!
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Mandarin duck, Richmond Park, London, England
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Cape Town at dusk
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Great hornbill, Thailand
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Anybody out there?
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Honoring the fallen
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Pascua Florida Day
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Rooftops in the walled city of Urbino, Italy
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50 years of the Endangered Species Act
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Patriot Day
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The Great Glen
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

