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:
-
Chilling out in the Arctic
-
Black History Month
-
Polar Bear Week
-
Who left the tub running?
-
Space-age style by the sea
-
Anniversary of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
-
National Take the Stairs Day
-
Shhh, the movie is about to start
-
Spiegelgracht canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands
-
Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
-
This park is Superkilen
-
A march toward a dream
-
Beech trees and wild anemones, Jutland, Denmark
-
The story of a rediscovered redwood
-
In orbit for Yuri s Night
-
Where do those colors come from?
-
Solar Impulse 2 in Honolulu
-
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
-
Glacial spires in the fog
-
Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska
-
Spine-cheeked anemonefish in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
-
Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona
-
Pont Rouge
-
Happy Fat Tuesday!
-
In Sicily, history is everywhere
-
International Bat Appreciation Day
-
Winter solstice
-
Dressed for winter fun
-
A lofty lighthouse and a little ocean spray
-
Crown Fountain by Jume Plensa at Millennium Park in Chicago
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

