For the most part, killer whales aren’t considered life-threatening/dangerous marine mammals.
With that said, they have been known to attack humans on rare occasions, which we’ll explain later in the article.
Despite being carnivorous animals, killer whales don’t eat people or generally try to attack them.
Nevertheless, it’s not advised to interact with killer whales unless supervised by a professional in a controlled environment.
Whether it’s because we don’t resemble any food sources they would normally eat, or we don’t taste appetizing to them is unknown.
However, killer whales don’t appear to have a desire to hunt and/or eat us, and that’s definitely a good thing.
Unlike sharks, killer whales don’t typically attack humans unless they feel threatened, and in no known case has a human ever been eaten by a killer whale.
For the most part, killer whales are considered amiable animals, at least as far as we know and have experienced them to be.
They are even the main attraction at several marine parks, bringing thousands of spectators yearly to watch them perform.
These mammals are highly intelligent and capable of learning complex tasks.
They are also known for performing amazing tricks and areal acrobatics, making them a popular crowd-pleaser at aquatic shows.
The name “killer whale” comes from the fact that these marine mammals are the largest known animals within the dolphin species.
Interestingly, they have highly complex team-oriented hunting methods.
In fact, they often hunt as a well-organized pod and will use sophisticated hunting methods to capture their prey.
These dolphins have even been referred to as the wolves of the sea based on observations of the way they hunt for food.
In addition to their complex hunting methods, killer whales are also equipped with echolocation, which helps them locate food sources simply by using sound.
Killer whales are known to eat everything from fish and squid to penguins, sea lions, polar bears, and even whales.
When not hunting, these dolphins spend their time resting, socializing, and traveling with family.
As many as four generations of family members may be seen swimming together in a pod.
Even when the children are fully matured, they maintain close relationships with their mothers.
When killer whales are dangerous
While killer whales aren’t known to seek out or injure humans on purpose, there are circumstances where killer whales have harmed and at least in one instance killed a person in their marine aquarium.
Despite their apparent friendliness at marine parks and aquarium shows, these large animals have occasionally attacked their trainers when they feel threatened or emotionally unstable.
Although these attacks are rare, they can and have happened.
In these cases, the killer whale would usually grab hold of the trainer’s limb or hair and pull them underwater.
Thankfully most of these events have only caused minor bumps and scrapes.
However, there has been an instance in which a trainer drowned after being pulled underwater for too long.
Since then, the aquariums and marine parks have placed additional restrictions on training killer whales to prevent future occurrences from happening.
Numerous people have stated that these attacks occur because the killer whales are isolated from family/friends and kept in small unnatural environments, which leads to depression and aggression.
Hence, it is understandable that a killer whale held in captivity may act accordingly. Therefore, while they aren’t known for attacking people, they are still large animals and defend themselves and their families if they feel threatened.
When it comes to killer whales that live in the wild, these attacks are even rarer, with only a handful of accounts being recorded over the decades.
When attacks have occurred, it is believed that the person or group may have been confused for their typical prey, and once the killer whale(s) realized that it wasn’t their normal meal, they left the people alone.
Given the rarity of these events and the fact that the killer whales stop their pursuits once they realize that the people aren’t seals or any other prey, they hunt there is nothing to suggest that these marine mammals have any interest in hunting or harming humans.
As far as we know, there aren’t any known or recorded deaths that have occurred in the wild.
If a killer whale is ever spotted nearby extreme caution is always advised, and people should never approach a killer whale in the wild.
Why killer whales may be passive towards humans
While there is no conclusive explanation as to why killer whales appear to be mostly non-aggressive towards humans, several theories exist.
One of the commonly given answers for their fairly passive nature towards us is that we don’t resemble their typical food and/or we don’t taste like anything they’re used to eating or would like to eat.
Another possible explanation is that killer whales are brilliant and communicate with one another to let their pod members know that humans are off the menu and should not be hunted.
While this theory may seem far-fetched, there has been evidence of how sophisticated and developed killer whales’ culture is.
They hunt together, educate and teach each other, communicate through vocal and body language and share strong bonds with other pod members.
In addition to a strong social structure, killer whales have hierarchies.
They have been observed performing what has been described as ceremonies when greeting other members or taking part in a serious social event.
These cultural behaviors have led some researchers and biologists to believe that hierarchical decisions are made between groups of killer whales, extending to what they hunt and what they eat.
Don’t mistake kindness for weakness
Given the killer whales’ low track record of harming people in the ocean, they should never be mistaken for friendly and welcoming animals.
If they feel their family is being threatened or if they believe their own personal well-being is in danger, chances are they won’t hesitate to attack and/or defend themselves.
They are amazing hunters and very capable of attacking other mammals.
After all, they have been observed hunting some of the largest animals on the planet, so while they may not go after you just because you’re in their vicinity, it doesn’t mean they won’t protect themselves or their family from perceived threats.
If you’re mistaken for food, you may not have such a friendly welcoming.