The Orca Story: Killer Whale or Misunderstood Dolphin?
Photo StoryPublished : Aug 22, 2018Updated : Sep 26, 2023
Photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee swims with orcas, to better understand the stunning predators
Text and photos by: Dhritiman Mukherjee
Photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee swims with orcas, to better understand the stunning predators
Orcas have received a lot of bad press. For starters, they’re called killer whales, a moniker that is both terrifying and entirely untrue: Orcas aren’t whales at all. They are members of the dolphin family, and the bulk of their killing involves eating herring, a small fish that grows to no more than 15cm in length.
Like many animals, orcas are largely uninterested in humans, and prefer the open sea and the company of their pod mates. Keen to gain a deeper understanding of these striking creatures, wildlife photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee made his way to Tromsø, a coastal city in northern Norway in November 2017.
The weather in Tromsø is generally divided into four categories: cool, cold, very cold, and freezing. November, when he visited, is smack dab in the middle of “very cold” and “freezing”, which means the landscape is mostly white, the skies are cloudy, and the sun is above the horizon only for a precious few hours every day. The light is fantastic, bathing the winter landscape in an ethereal glow, but it’s also fickle. “One minute the sun is shining, the ocean is calm, and everything is good, and suddenly,” Dhritiman says. “It changes completely. Dark skies, strong winds, and lots and lots of snow. It makes planning very difficult.”
Still, he took daily boat rides into the choppy Norwegian sea, keeping his eyes peeled for sights of a glossy black fin breaking through the water. The fjords around Tromsø are favoured by orcas seeking schools of herring fish, and Dhritiman wanted to capture them underwater. “I want to bust this myth that orcas are unpredictable and dangerous creatures,” he explains. “We just have to understand them, and respect their boundaries, and if we do, I believe that we can live together easily.”
Humans and orcas have a few things in common. Both are social species. Both breathe using lungs—humans with the nose and mouth; orcas with blowholes atop their heads. But the most significant similarity has to do with menopause. Most animals die shortly after losing their ability to reproduce, except for three species: humans, orcas, and short-finned pilot whales. Among these, scientists have noted, females continue to thrive for decades after their uterus ceases to produce eggs. In the case of orcas, older females often become leaders of their pods.
Orca pods vary in size. Some have as few as five members, while others like this clan, have over 40. Pod members have deep social ties, much like human families. This is one of the primary reasons that marine activists fight fiercely against water parks where orcas are kept in captivity and trained for human audiences.
Open seas are the preferred home ground of orcas, but pods occasionally enter narrow fjords like this, to hunt for herring. The width of the water body makes it harder for the fish to escape as they are walled in from two sides. But it’s more difficult for the orcas too, as the depth of the water is relatively shallow.
Adult males (pictured here) can be distinguished by their sharp, triangular dorsal fins. Females have fins that are shorter and curved. Males are also significantly larger than females, and can weigh up to 11 tonnes.
Orcas hunt in groups, using echo-location and communication to execute complex strategies to get their prey. Most ingenious among these, is the strategy they employ to catch herring, their favourite fish. When a pod spots a shoal of herring, they encircle the shoal forcing in into a small, tight ball that makes it harder for the fish to escape. Then, the orcas slap the water with their massive tails, creating a force that stuns the herrings, making them easier to consume. It might seem like a lot of work but herrings travel in mega-shoals, with thousands, sometimes millions of fish. Scientists have christened this method of co-operative hunting, “carousel feeding”.
Their success as skilled hunters however, comes with its own set of problems: uninvited guests. Scientists have noticed that humpback whales and seabirds like these Arctic gulls sometimes crash the orcas’ herring parties. When the work is done, and the fish are stunned for the picking, they help themselves to the bounty.
They aren’t the only ones with a taste for herring. At supermarkets in Tromsø city, bottles of pickled herring are sold as a local delicacy. At cafes in the city, the fish is draped over sourdough bread, with a spoonful of sour cream, onions, and dill, and eaten for a light lunch or dinner.
Culinary treasures aside, Tromsø is popular with travellers for two reasons. The first is its proximity to the Arctic Ocean, home to humpback whales, dolphins, and orcas. A number of organisations conduct day trips to nearby fjords and islands to view the whales in their natural habitat.
The other reason is the Northern Lights. Tromsø receives only a few hours of sun in the winter months—and none at all in December—which can be quite bleak for residents. But the Polar Night is the perfect canvas for the aurora borealis.
is one of India's most prolific wildlife and conservation photographers. His work has been featured in leading publications. He is also a RoundGlass Ambassador, and an RBS Earth Hero awardee.
