10 Orca Quirks That Will Make You Forget the Boat Attacks

Orcas are the behemoths of the dolphin family. In 2020, they infamously started sinking boats in the Strait of Gibraltar. Sure, they’re acting like sea monsters, but orcas have another side to them—think more in the direction of Willy Wonka than Hannibal Lecter. From wearing fashionable hats to offering humans food, here are ten quirky things that wild orcas do that might surprise you today!

Related: 10 Stories That Prove Animals Are True Masters of Mischief

10 Orcas Might Be Multilingual

Killer whale language is complex. Orcas whistle, click, and pulse (short sound bursts) to communicate. Most pods even have their own dialect. But perhaps the most impressive linguistic skill is the fact that orcas can learn to talk like dolphins.

A 2014 study examined the sounds made by three captive orcas kept with bottlenose dolphins. In each case, the killer whale changed how they “talked.” Ordinarily, pulsed calls dominate orca communication, but this isn’t a hallmark of dolphin-speak. The captive orcas all pulsed less and increased their clicks and whistles to sound more like their bottlenose companions. One killer whale even learned a chirp sequence a handler had taught the dolphins before introducing them to the orca.

It remains unclear why orcas do this. But one can imagine that, in the absence of other killer whales, a lonely orca might be driven by their social nature to fit in with dolphins—even if they are a different species.^[1]

9 Orcas Attend Social Clubs

Off the coast of Russia, in the Avacha Gulf, killer whales live in pods of 10 or 20 individuals. In the past, as many as eight pods would merge, and scientists could not understand why.

These “super pods” teemed with as many as 100 orcas, lasting a few hours to nearly half a day. Russian scientists floated closer on a boat and observed the animals to crack the mystery. The congregation didn’t occur for protection because killer whales have no enemies. The researchers also noted that the animals hardly fed, disproving a previous theory that they gathered to increase hunting success.

The orcas did something else. As soon as they met other pods, they would rub flippers with them and mirror each other while swimming. Romance also blossomed. This behavior suggests that super pods ensure a healthy exchange of genes and act as social clubs where orcas can visit to create and nurture lasting friendships.^[2]

8 Kelp Spa Days

The Salish Sea is home to an endangered group of killer whales. This population, which is called the Southern resident killer whales, is genetically, culturally, and ecologically distinct from other orcas, and there are fewer than 80 left.

Despite being under close observation for decades, nobody noticed a particular habit until 2025. Drone footage captured orcas gathering bull kelp, pressing it against a partner, and then rolling the plants between their bodies for a long time.

Seaweed tools are unheard of among marine mammals, but these orcas didn’t get the memo. The practice is widespread among the Southern resident killer whales, and all age groups and genders participate. Interestingly, they seem to prefer partners of the same age or a close relative.

Since orcas observed with molting skin engage in this behavior more often, the kelp primarily appears to be a grooming tool. But considering their partner preferences, a good kelp rub is probably a bonding activity as well.^[3]

7 Killer Whales Are Shrinking

Orcas are splitting into two distinct types: a large form and a pygmy variety. While teacup orcas sound adorable, the pygmies are not exactly small. They can reach up to 20 feet (6 m) in length, which is still beefy. The large form is twice as big. The two groups, which live in Antarctic waters, are classified as types B and C, with type C being the smaller animals.

Several things suggest that they may already be separate species. Apart from the size difference, they have different markings and hunt different prey. The big guys are partial to seals, while the pygmies prefer fish.

The best evidence is written in the animals’ genes. A study revealed that the same gene, which is responsible for metabolism and energy production, mutated differently in B and C, most likely to support their different lifestyles. Incredibly, this genetic change occurred almost 150,000 years ago, suggesting that the two groups may have been separate species for a long, long time.^[4]

6 Orca Boy Moms Are Real

The term “boy mom” refers to a mother who prefers sons, sometimes to the detriment of her own daughters. Orcas share many human traits, including menopause, language, complex social ties, and unapologetic boy moms.

Orca pods are usually led by post-menopausal matriarchs that rely on their experience to find food and safety. Killer whale cows live up to 90 years, which means they can benefit their pods for up to 20 years after birthing their last calf. These matriarchs not only manage the group, but they also grant special protection to their adult sons, who can weigh up to five tons, by keeping them out of fights.

A 2023 study looked at thousands of photos documenting nearly 50 years of a pod living off the Pacific coast of North America. The research showed that males with an older mother nearby were bitten less by other killer whales. Males with no mothers, breeding-age mothers, or females with older mothers did not receive the same protection.

Why the preferential treatment? Breeding-age mothers must raise their newborns and cannot spend energy or resources on their adult offspring. But post-menopausal females have more free time and might protect their sons because they reproduce faster than daughters, and males breed outside the pod, meaning fewer grandkids for the matriarch to support.^[5]

5 They Wear Hats

The expression “I will eat my hat” took a curious turn in 1987, when a female orca from Puget Sound was seen carrying a salmon on her nose before eating it. This wasn’t unusual in itself. When orcas are not terrorizing the ocean, they are surprisingly playful. What raised eyebrows was the fact that other orcas began to copy her. Entire pods of killer whales in the area started wearing dead salmon as hats. Strangely, the “fashion” became seasonal until it was abandoned in 1988.

Nearly forty years later, in 2024, the trend appeared again. Just like before, the fish hats brought no clear answers. Researchers speculate that it could be a food storage habit, as one orca was seen wearing its fish for 30 minutes before gulping it down. It might also feel good or act as toys. Nobody knows.

Life expectancy may explain the re-emergence of the 2024 orca fashion scene. Orcas can live up to 90 years. This means that the same orcas could have sparked both events. The theory is supported by the region, as this behavior has only been recorded in the Puget Sound area off the northwestern coast of the United States.^[6]

4 French Smoochies

In 2025, scientists donned their flippers and dove into the icy waters of Norway’s Kvænangen fjords. The team planned on filming wild orcas, and while they did find the beasts, nobody foresaw capturing an extremely rare moment between two killer whales. For nearly two minutes, the pair was seen hovering nose-to-nose and nibbling each other’s tongues.

French-kissing orcas have been recorded only once before. In 2019, a study noted similar tongue action between captive killer whales. Instead of sinking teeth into flesh, one animal would gently push its teeth against the other orca’s tongue.

Aggression was absent in both cases, suggesting a bonding or grooming behavior. It might even be how younger orcas beg for food. More research could reveal the answer one day, but for now, this mystery serves to remind us how socially complex killer whales are.^[7]

3 They Have Bullies

Orcas have a fearsome reputation. Their teamwork and intelligence put them at the top of the food chain with no natural predator. Just to put their supremacy in perspective, here’s an interesting side fact—great white sharks will leave their hunting grounds for up to a year if orcas so much as pass by.

One group of killer whales has been knocked off this pedestal. Not by a kraken-like giant squid, angry sperm whales, or even whalers. In the waters off southern Iceland, orcas run from smaller pilot whales—ironically, also a member of the dolphin family.

In 2015, scientists were observing killer whales when they witnessed the strange conflict. The orcas began whistling loudly and left the area, just as a pod of pilot whales appeared. Since then, this fearful reaction has been documented at least 20 times, mostly around Iceland. Some encounters even involved high-speed chases where the orcas desperately tried to flee from the pilots.

Scientists frankly don’t know what’s going on. Maybe the pilot whales did something that frightened these killer whales, and they never forgot. Whatever the reason, this is a highly unusual demotion for the usually dominant orcas.^[8]

2 A Pod Hunted Alongside Humans

In the 20th century, a remarkable partnership formed between hunters and orcas. Whalers fishing off the coast of New South Wales trained killer whales as their “hunting dogs.” The pod herded whales toward the hunters, who then rewarded the orcas with the lips and tongues of the carcasses. This unusual symbiotic relationship made the pod famous, and they became known as the “killers of Eden.”

The group’s leader was called Old Tom. In 1930, his body washed ashore. The bull orca weighed 6 tonnes and measured 6.7 metres in length. Visitors can still see Old Tom on display in the Eden Killer Whale Museum, and in 2023, biologists were among the guests. Their goal? To take a DNA sample and see if the Eden pod still existed.

The study showed that Old Tom’s ancestors came from Australasia, the North Pacific, and the North Atlantic, and that his genetic code closely resembled that of modern New Zealand killer whales. Despite this wide genetic background, Tom’s DNA is missing from all known living killer whales today, suggesting that the killer whales of Eden are likely extinct.^[9]

1 Wild Orcas Give Humans Food

In 2025, a study looked at 34 encounters between humans and killer whales in the wild. These meetings were not aggressive. Instead, surprised onlookers were offered food by a single orca or a pair. At other times, an entire pod tried to feed the landlubbers.

So, what’s going on here? Researchers do not think that the orcas are being deceptive. You know, lure a tasty human closer with bait and then eat them. On the contrary, this could be true altruistic behavior or an attempt to interact with people. Since orcas are insanely intelligent, some speculate that they recognize humans as a fellow smart apex predator, and that makes them curious enough to reach out.

This behavior is not a new phenomenon. Orcas of both genders and all ages have been initiating the encounters for at least two decades. They approach people on boats, swimmers, and even humans standing on shore. The animals would, on average, stop about one orca body length away and release the food. If the person refused the gift, some killer whales would make repeated attempts to offer the meat to them.^[10]