Orca: The Whale Called Killer

by Erich Hoyt

"Hoyt's passionate sense of kinship with orca makes his account effective as both a science and literature. He has chronicled his adventures and discoveries ...with grace, insight, wit--and a comprehensiveness that might satisfy even Herman Melville."
( Discover Magazine ) Star performers in aquariums and marine parks, killer whales were once considered to be too dangerous to approach in the wild. Erich Hoyt and his colleagues spent seven summers following these intelligent and playful creatures in the waters off northern Vancouver Island, intent on dispelling the killer myth. The Whale Called Killer is Hoyt's exciting account of those summers of adventure and discovery, and the definitive, classic work on the orca or killer whale. The Free Willy films, inspired in part by Hoyt's pioneering writing about orcas, tell the
story of a captive orca being returned to the wild. (Hoyt, in fact, recommended Keiko, the orca who became the star of Free Willy , to Warner Bros.) But The Whale Called Killer tells the true story of wild orcas befriending humans.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Science, Natural History, Wildlife, Biology

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Erich Hoyt has spent much of his life on or near the sea, working with whales and dolphins and marine conservation. An award-winning author, he has written or co-written 25 books and hundreds of magazine articles on whales, dolphins, as well as the deep sea, ants, insects, wild plants and other subjects.

His latest books include Planktonia (2022, 176pp, 150+ photos) and Strange Sea Creatures (2021), both of which offer a deep dive into the new species scientists are discovering in the ocean, some of them no larger than a fingernail. In 2019, he produced an expanded, updated edition of his best-selling Orca: The Whale Called Killer, lavishly illustrated with 90 all new photos, illustrations and maps. Before those books, Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (2017) chronicled the 40-year revolution in whale research with first-hand stories and insights into the lives of these highly social, intelligent mammals and the drive to save their habitat. Other books include the award-winning Creatures of the Deep (2014) and Weird Sea Creatures (2013) — both of which explored the frontiers of the deep sea with state of the art photography and tales of bizarre new species.

Erich is currently Research Fellow with WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the UK. For the past 20 years, he has jointly directed the first killer whale (orca) study in eastern Russia (in Kamchatka), an international collaboration with Russian scientists. The project won the prestigious Klüh Prize for Innovation in Science ($10,000 prize) from Germany. Erich is also a member of the International Committee on Marine Mammal Protected Areas and co-chair of the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Area Task Force.

Erich has authored numerous conservation and scientific papers and reports as a consultant and advisor for international conservation groups and governments and is considered an authority on whales and dolphins, marine-protected areas and marine conservation, whale watching and ecotourism. He has given talks in Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Iceland, Mexico, Chile, Canada, U.S., Germany and the Caribbean. He has also taught as a visiting lecturer at the Ohio State University, the University of Edinburgh, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Erich’s magazine and newspaper credits include: National Geographic, Natural History, Geographical, New Scientist, Canadian Geographic, The Sunday Times (London), The Guardian, The New York Times, Hakai, Defenders, International Wildlife. Twice a James Thurber Writer-in-Residence, and a Vannevar Bush Fellow at MIT and Harvard in 1985-86, he has 15 magazine and book awards including the Outstanding Book of the Year Award from the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Inc., in New York (2002) and the Choice selection as one of its Outstanding Academic Books (2012).

Three of his adult nonfiction books, The Earth Dwellers, Insect Lives and Orca: The Whale Called Killer, have been optioned for films. His books for children (age 10+) include Weird Sea Creatures, Whale Rescue, Meeting the Whales and Riding with the Dolphins (all published by Firefly Books) and Extinction A-Z. His books have been published in 15 languages in 25 countries.

A dual Canadian-American citizen, Erich lives in Dorset, England, with his wife and four children.

Reviews

[Persephone's Pomegranate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although that summer 1973 expedition was only the first of many to Johnstone Strait whale country, it stands out in my memory. It was a period of discovery and excitement when I met for the first time the true king of the sea, the whale called killer.



Just an FYI… There are several versions of this book - the 1981 version, the 1990 version, the 2013 version, and the 2019 version.

I'll try to make this as concise as possible. I tend to go overboard in my quest to spread information.

Killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family. They have the most gyrified brain on the planet, according to the gyrencephaly index. They have a highly developed paralimbic system (responsible for processing emotions). They are among the few species capable of recognizing themselves in the mirror, which indicates that they possess self-awareness.

In the Pacific Northwest, there are three ecotypes of killer whales. Resident killer whales feed strictly on fish, particularly salmon. Transients hunt marine mammals. Offshore killer whales hunt sharks.

I've always been a Transient/Offshore type of gal. I LOVE Southern and Northern Residents. I really do. But there's something borderline psychotic epic about mammal-eating orcas. I like to think of them as Hannibal Lecters of the sea. They will attack and kill great white sharks just to eat their livers. They turn the shark upside down to induce tonic immobility. Then, they drown the shark and remove the liver with almost surgical precision. They hunt Gray and Humpback calves by separating them from their mothers and ramming until they drown (usually only the tongue is eaten). They catapult seals into the air for fun.


(credit to whoever made this)

Killer whales have a fierce reputation – and deservedly so. Some sailors think of them as 'the assholes of the ocean.' Killer whales are apex predators, but they can also be kind and remarkably friendly.

*spoilers*

A marine biologist once observed three dolphins swimming with a pod of mammal-eating killer whales in British Columbia. A pilot whale calf was seen swimming with killer whales in Iceland. There have been numerous reports of killer whales saving people and dogs from drowning. A pod of killer whales, called 'Killers of Eden' worked with human whalers to hunt baleen whales. The leader of Killers of Eden was a male orca called 'Old Tom.' These events took place in New South Wales between 1840 and 1930. (Old Tom's skeleton is on display in the Eden Killer Whale Museum).

Alexandra Morton wrote in her book, Listening to Whales : Years of Shamu shows have conditioned the public to think of killer whales as pool toys. Resident whales, with their matriarchal societies and fish-eating ways, dovetail nicely with that false image. The Transients, however, are nothing like Shamu. While they can be gentle and patient, these orcas are responsible for some of the most violent kills in the waterborne world. That doesn’t make them bad. That’s just the way they are.

In the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, there are three distinct ecotypes : Resident, Transient, and Offshore.

Killer whales are the ultimate mama's boys and girls. They live in close-knit matriarchal societies. In most cases, adult offspring never leave their mother's pod. The only time a young orca leaves its mother's side is to mate or socialize. That is especially true for the Southern and Northern Residents. If a male killer whale loses his mother, he will be 'taken in' by his sister, niece, aunt, or grandmother. If he doesn't have a close female relative, his chances of survival are slim.

An interesting little tidbit - killer whales, pilot whales, beluga whales, narwhals, and humans are the only species on earth that experience menopause.

Residents and Transients separated genetically over 750,000 years ago. They have different languages, food preferences, family structures, lifestyles, and rituals. Seaworld has created hybrids that don't exist in the wild. Kalina, the first 'Baby Shamu' was 50% Southern Resident and 50% Icelandic (North Atlantic Type 1). Her mother Katina was captured off the coast of Skarðsfjara, Iceland. Her father Winston was captured in the infamous 1970 Penn Cove (Washington) roundup. He was captured with Lolita (the last surviving captive Southern Resident and the second oldest orca in captivity). Kalina's son Keto killed his trainer Alexis Martinez in 2009.

Reminds me of the line from Jurassic Park: 'Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.' And I use the term 'scientists' loosely here.



It was depressing. I didn't want to be there, and they sure didn't want to be there. At first, there had been some interplay. The bull was curious. As I swam along the bottom, he'd come over and have a good look, and occasionally, I'd follow him around, which he didn't seem to mind. But after a few months, when I went swimming, the whales would avoid me. They'd gone through a lot. I began to feel it was wrong to keep them captive, to put them in a situation, not of their own choosing, where, sooner or later, they are doomed."

On July 16th, 1964, at approximately five years old, Moby Doll was captured from the waters of Saturna Island in Washington. The original plan was to kill a wild orca to create a life-sized, anatomically correct model for the aquarium's British Columbia hall. The fishermen decided not to kill the unfortunate young orca. They harpooned, shot, and dragged him to Vancouver. The voyage lasted sixteen hours (which is freaking barbaric). Moby Doll helped change the public's perception of the species from fearsome, vicious monsters to intelligent, playful, gentle giants. The resilient youngster died after 87 days in captivity.

When Moby Doll was caught and while the pod waited on the surface some distance away, the harpooned whale uttered "shrill whistles so intense that they could easily be heard above the surface of the water 100 yards away."

Ted Griffin, the aquarium owner and entrepreneur, saw dollar signs in his eyes. In 1965, he purchased a Northern Resident killer whale called “Namu.” Namu was 'accidentally' caught in a fishermen's net. He became the biggest tourist attraction in Seattle. Ted wanted to find a mate for his star performer. He captured Shamu from the waters of Puget Sound.

The bull Namu had issued "loud, strident screams" regularly from his Rich Cove pen during his internment in 1965-66. At times, his cries were picked up by passing Puget Sound whales, who apparently returned the sounds.

Shamu was a Southern Resident and member of the J Pod. Her mother was harpooned and killed in front of her. The traumatized little female orca was moved to Namu's pen in Puget Sound. The two didn't get along. Shamu hated Griffin and the rest of her captors. She was sold to Seaworld San Diego in 1965. She became the first superstar of Seaworld. Gradually, her health deteriorated, and she died of a uterus infection in 1975.

Lolita, also known as Tokitae and Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut, is the last surviving Southern Resident in captivity. She was captured in the waters of Penn Cove, near Puget Sound, Washington in 1970. She is held at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida. Her tank mate, Hugo, died in 1980 after repeatedly banging his head against the side of their tank. Members of the Pacific Northwest Lummi tribe are fighting to bring Lolita home to the Salish Sea. The Lummi Nation refers to the local orcas as Qwe 'lhol mechen, which means 'our relatives who live under the sea' or 'the people under the waves' (please correct me if I got this wrong) Lolita is believed to be the daughter of L25 Ocean Sun (born around 1928). She also had an older sister named Tsunami, who passed away in 1982.

Corky, also known as Corky II, is the last surviving Northern Resident in captivity. She was captured in 1969 in Pender Harbour, British Columbia. Corky is the oldest orca in captivity. She is a member of the A5 pod, A23 matriline. Her mother A23 Stripe died in 2000. She had a younger brother, Okisollo, who died in 2001. Her pod currently consists of her younger sister Ripple, younger brother Fife, niece Midsummer, great-nephew Fern, great-niece Eliot and little Ne'nakw. Corky is held at Seaworld San Diego.

In 1976, orca captures were banned in America. Marine parks shifted their efforts to the land of fire and ice – Iceland. Over 50 young orcas were captured from Icelandic waters and sold to marine parks across the globe (mostly Seaworld). Some of the most well-known names include Keiko (the star of Free Willy), Tilikum (the star of Blackfish), Katina (the long-reigning matriarch of Seaworld Orlando), Kasatka (the late matriarch of Seaworld San Diego, who had an 'incident' with her trainer in 2006, as seen in the documentary Blackfish) and Kiska (the last remaining captive orca in Canada). Russia is the only place in the world that still allows wild captures of whales and dolphins. They sell them to marine parks in China.



Famous Southern Residents (wild and captive) : Moby Doll, Shamu, Lolita, Hugo (there's a great video on youtube called Hugo's Story), Granny, Ocean Sun, Tahlequah (who made worldwide headlines when she was spotted carrying her dead calf for 17 days), Luna (there's a documentary about Luna called The Whale, narrated by Ryan Reynolds)

Famous Northern Residents (wild and captive) : Namu, Corky, Tsitika, Eve, Sharky, Top Notch, Springer (the only orca to have been successfully re-integrated back into the wild)

Famous Transients (wild) : Raksha and her five daughters – Tread, Akela, Sedna, Quiver, Sol, and granddaughter Tsakani. Esperanza, her daughter, and grandsons. Sidney, her son, and two daughters. Local celebrity Chainsaw. Lonesome George. Artemis and her children. Harbeson, the oldest male orca (he's over 60!)

Famous Icelandic North Atlantic Type 1 (captive) : Keiko, Tilikum, Katina, Kasatka, Kiska, Gudrun

166 wild orcas have been taken from the waters of Washington State, British Columbia, and Iceland. Of those 166 orcas, 32 were transferred to various Seaworld parks. Seaworld has owned 18 Icelanders (North Atlantic Type 1), 10 Southern Residents, 2 Northern Residents, and 2 Transients. Only five of those orcas are still alive today - Corky (Northern Resident held at Seaworld San Diego), Lolita (Southern Resident held at the Miami Seaquarium), Katina (Icelandic, held at Seaworld Orlando), Ulises (Icelandic, held at Seaworld San Diego) and Kiska (Icelandic, the last captive orca in Canada, held at Marineland Ontario). Lolita and Kiska live in terrible conditions.

There isn't a cetologist on this planet who hasn't read Orca: The Whale Called Killer. This book was a game-changer. It still holds up.

The older editions are quite dated. Make sure you have the most recent version of the book.


(Researcher comforts a bull orca stranded near Tofino in 1976)

[... · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is just one book about orcas that everyone should read, it's this one.

In the early 1970s, Erich Hoyt, along with a few others, embarked on a project that would transform our understanding of killer whales. The team was observing and filming the whales in Johnstone Strait for a few summers, getting to know them as individuals and slowly discovering their way of life. In later years, Hoyt moved on to Russian waters to study orcas there, initiating FEROP (Far East Russia Orca Project) that helped shine a light on the plight of these pods, targeted since 2012 for captures.

It's far from a dry book I thought it would be - Hoyt's passages verge on poetic, sometimes, and the narrative just swept me into the 1970s, transporting me right there to the boats, where I could hear the whales calling and smell their fishy breaths, where I could watch the sun slowly sinking below the horizon and feel the wet mist from spouts on my face. At the same time, the book is so packed with facts and science that I had to read it ever so slowly to inhale every sentence of it.

Although the book focuses mainly on the wild pods, Hoyt writes about the captive industry, too. Anyone who's unsure whether orcas should be kept in marine parks needs to read this and reconsider their position; if Death at SeaWorld and Blackfish are not eye-opening enough, that is.

The latest (5th) edition adds a lot of new material and updates, so make sure you get this one if you decide to read it. And you totally should read it.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this enthralling book the author, Erich Hoyt describes the first few years he spent in the waters of Canada filming, recording and learning about Orcas. Written from experiences in the 1970's he knew nothing about Killer whales when he first set out; but then, back then, NO ONE knew anything about them very much.

Orcinus orca, a large toothed member of the dolphin family, lives in family pods, is curious, intelligent, and a fascinating animal. But in the 70's nothing much was know about them and this book goes back to the time when people were first finding out. It is an enthralling journey and it is beautifully written. The author describes sailing around in zodiacs trying to gain the Orca's trust, the familiarity they gained with the individual animals, the descriptions of some of the early scientific work done in mapping the areas pods.

There is a lot of valuable information in this book, but the beauty of the descriptions is it's winning factor. This remote (at the time) part of Canada, its cold waters, and unlogged forests, come to life as much as the individual Orcas and the authors journey.

Brilliant book - I sped through it, it did not last long enough.

[Potassium · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book totally helped fuel my obsession with killer whales. I found it incredibly informative and much more fun to read than a standard textbook.

[Chelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As others have noted, this further inspires anyone who's already fascinated with the most beautiful creature on the planet. I read this book in the mid-80s and am dying to dig out that old copy and read it all over again. I look forward to my boys being old enough to read and appreciate this meaningful work.

[Katey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orca is my current species obsession. I began watching documentaries and reading about them when I heard about the film Blackfish (http://www.magpictures.com/blackfish/), and I'm ashamed that it took me so long to learn about this amazing species. Their complex social structure and intelligence, not to mention even their superb hunting behaviour (which puts any human hunter's "skills" to shame) are breathtaking to me.

What's terribly upsetting is that these incredibly advanced animals are kept in captivity for human amusement and entertainment, for the profits of Sea World and other marine parks, and at the tremendous detriment of any orca so unfortunate to be imprisoned. This book, first published over 30 years ago and taking place during the 70s when wild orca captures were still allowed in US and Canadian waters, details the miserable fates of all the orcas kept in captivity, and shares professional and educated opinions of biologists that orcas should not be kept in captivity. The instances at the time of the book's publication of orcas attacking trainers are also listed (there are no documented or credible instances of orca attacking humans in the wild, save for one reasonably confirmed case of a surfer in the 70s- the bite was not fatal, though required 100 stitches, and the conclusion is that the particular orca mistakenly indentified the surfer as prey, since the orca could have very easily killed him if that was the intent), and it's even more maddening that this behaviour of captive orcas escalated and caused the deaths of several trainers, recently. Even after the sad ending to the story of Keiko (of Free Willy fame), it's distressing that only once again it seems this issue is attracting recent press. But it's being discussed, which is good, and Sea World is busy trying to do damage control (not a new endeavor for them, as stated in this book).

But that isn't all this book is about. It's about the author's three summers spent following pods of orcas off the coast of British Columbia and his personal observations. I would have rated this more highly, but the field journal type of writing, wherein he spends too much time detailing the humans involved with the project, gets a bit tedious. But there is a lot of good information and a good starting point for me in learning more about orcas.

When I was a teenager, my family visited Alaska, and on one day we went on a boat tour of Prince William Sound. Plenty of puffins and sea lions were seen, but then a freak storm came on suddenly, and I was cursed with my first ever episode of seasickness. Heeding the warnings of not going into a small space, I went out on deck to be greeted by cold rain (even though it was summer) and wind. Through the haze out on the water, I was able to see a pod of orcas, maybe about 100 yards away. I wish I was able to have really appreciated it then, despite my nausea and vertigo (not to mention whatever teenage drama I had going on) and realised how lucky that chance sighting was. I can only hope that someday I'm able to be lucky like that again, this time fully appreciating it.

[Kenneth Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. Thorough, in-depth, fascinating. Erich Hoyt explores the world of the Orca in tremendous detail, but the book is never dull. Hoyt covers his subject like a scientist, but has a gift for storytelling as well. There's plenty of action. "Orca" is about people, too-- how human perception re: these creatures has dramatically changed. 40-50 years ago Orcas were considered dangerous, indiscriminate killers. A menace. Hoyt explains how careful, painstaking research gradually helped paint a different picture; of a playful and extraordinarily intelligent mammal. Highly recommend.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and in depth book about orcinus orca. The author covers everything in this book, from the history of the orca capture and the display industry, to researching these magnificent creatures in the wild and describing his time doing so in Johnstone strait. Not to mention the incredible details of orca behaviour and social structure. A must read of any orca or animal fan.

[Ohyassi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be about whales, but it's mostly about watching whales. Why does he keep describing things like what everybody on the boat is wearing? Just tell us about the whales, damn it!

[GABRIELLE · Rating 3 out of 5]

I JUST LOVE ORCAS OK?

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was reviewed as part of the Amazon Vine Program.

So, this is a book in progress, as evidenced by this being the 5th edition. While it wasn't a complete overhaul of the book; more recent facts, updates, and research were included and outlined within the book. If you've read any of the other editions, this probably isn't going to be much new information for you; but if you like having the latest facts, go for it.

This book was actually kind of tough for me to read. I was expecting facts about Orcas, research, etc. But this was actually a narrative journal of various expeditions the author undertook along with the aforementioned facts, research, and information. It meant that the flow for me was a bit hard to read in big chunks; a chapter at a time was about the right amount. It's not that I didn't like the added information, but sometimes it could get a bit tedious, like the numerous instances of stating that the salt water was hurting their equipment. Pared down, I think the book could be more a bit concise and easier to read in big gulps.

But enough of my little complaints, let's go on to what is good about this book. First and foremost, this is a very in-depth look at the Orca population and how it was changed over the years by the captures for various amusement parks and aquariums. It also gave a thorough explanation of Orcas that were observed in the wild and their habits; starting in a time when little was known about them. It made me wonder, just which of these wild Orcas was the one I saw at Sea World when I was very, very young. Whose family were they stolen from?

If you couldn't tell, it's kind of a sad subject and the book doesn't hold back any details. Deaths as a result of capture, behavior issues, etc. are all included and spotlighted for the reader to see what was happening to these populations and groups of Orcas. Later, the research expanded to Russian waters and the captures currently being performed there. An echo of the past.

There were also a lot of pictures included, which I appreciated. It was nice to see some of the Orcas named and put a "face" to their unique descriptions of dorsal fins or patterning. There's also a great appendix which has other reading recommendations.

Overall this was a good book. I think that while it's hard to take in big chunks, it still has valuable information worth learning. Especially if you are concerned about Orcas and their future.

Review by M. Reynard 2019

[Andy Plonka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should have read this one before Susan Casey's book on the same subject since it was written many years ago (34 to be exact). Though more has been learned in the interim about these gentle giants, we have not learned enough from these animals who know infinitely more about getting along with other members of their species than do humans.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a fantastic job of opening the reader's eyes to things they never knew about the orca. Although it is a documentary-style book the author does a really good job of keeping the story going so that the book is still entertaining.

[Sam Lipman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, well-written book that hurtles you out to sea along with the author. If you love killer whales, the ocean, boats, adventure, science or even just a good, factual story, this is for you!

[Kieran Saucedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review of "The Killer Whale Journals" — very similar vibes with a more gritty structure. More details about the habits and complex vocalizations of orcas, which are interesting, but not the central pull of the story (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" adventure fantasy almost).

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful account of whale watching. This book really captures the majesty of the whales in nature. A factual error here and there, but overall well worth the read.

[Danielle Berthoud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I first read it when I was younger and a bit obsessed about orcas, and it stills holds up for me. Great balance of facts and storytelling, it stayed interesting.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anyone is interested in the hot topic issue of killer whales, this is the book for you! Strait facts and research to back up any claims about animal behavior.

[Orky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is without a doubt what I'd recommend if someone told me they wanted to read only one orca book. Very informative and a great look into this amazing animal.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information about the whales but the author tends to describe events very closely. I do not need to know what he had for dinner in 1970 and I also do not need to know that he liked the wife of his colleague from years ago. I would have enjoyed the book more if the information were more compressed.

[Michelle Harris-Waldow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful depiction of the lives of orca in the Pacific Northwest. It is absolutely fascinating to read about the development of orca research.

[Alan Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Killer whales actually don't kill people...and aren't whales. They are more closely related to dolphins, but the name killer whale has become so prevalent that even scientists have adopted it. Killer whales are big (but not compared to the Blue Whale, or even the Humpback Whale). However, they do kill other sea animals (different ones in different parts of the world--Salmon, seals, Herring, etc.), but there is no documented case of a Killer Whale killing a human, and very few attacks.

This book does a good job of laying out these facts, and many more regarding the family structure, life span, and intelligence. I learned a ton. However, I ultimately found the book annoying as it spent far too much time in the "we went out on a boat, didn't see any whales, but we were heroic because of the terrible conditions we faced" style of narration. I get that studying whales in the wild is difficult, but don't need the point driven home time after time.

In all, definitely worth reading if you are curious to know more about whales, but be forewarned that you will have to wade through a lot of wasted narrative to get there.

[Brett]

Fantastic book, fantastically wordy too. I learned an abundance about orcas, exactly what I wished to do, and an abundance about the Johnstone Strait and other various areas around Vancouver island where the orcas resided. There are several magical moments Hoyt and his crew encountered while observing the orcas that were nearly as magical to read. It is as much of a story of adventure as it is an analysis of the Vancouver island orcas, their lives, their families, their environment, their eating habits, their past-times, it goes on and on.

The only reason that this is one star short of 5 stars is because of how exhaustive this book was in terms of facts and observations, but that is it. And that is not a bad thing, at all. If I could rate it more accurately, it would be 4.5 stars. For lovers of orcas, give this book a shot. You will learn more than you bargained for, I promise. It will be worth it.

[Camilla P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erich Hoyt manages to tell a mesmerizing story about the whales, their interrelations and relations with their surroundings. While doing so, he naturally builds in a lot of facts derived from his research and time spent with the whales. Interesting is that this book, at least majority of the research for it, was collected in the 70s/early 80s. The book offer some of the early thoughts on killer whales, the attitude towards captivity and the impact of industrialization in many of the areas inhabited by killer whales.

Well done Mr. Hoyt, not only for leaving me wanting more, but the work and time you have dedicated to these fascinating animals. I have just been on a virtual killer whale expedition of a life time!

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exhaustive and groundbreaking account of man's first meaningful scientific encounters with the world's other apex predator, this book informs with excellent prose.

It also makes one begin to wonder if, despite the divergent paths we've traversed, orcas and Homo sapiens haven't evolved at nearly the same rate.

Highly recommended for anyone who saw "Blackfish", suspended all political calculations and simply thought: There's a fascinating creature I know nothing about!

[Leah Vanderwiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute fantastic and mesmerizing read! As someone who works with these animals in the wild now, it was incredible to read the experience and journey that was the pioneer days of whale research! Thank you Erich Hoyt for such an incredible read!!

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written book - almost with a magical touch to it at times - about these amazing, incredible and extremely intelligent creatures. Love the personal perspective from Eric Hoyt who has lived side by side with orcas. His stories really brought me to tears more than once. I highly recommend.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book documenting how the captivity of orcas started and shines a new light on this industry.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful history of killer whales and killer whale researchers in the Pacific Northwest. Makes you want to take a trip up the Vancouver Island Coast.

[Debra Barstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book about the lives of orca's also known as killer whales. would recommend this book if your interested in information about them.