Though they’re common name may be misleading, the Killer Whale is neither a “killer” nor a “whale.” Actually the largest member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae), the killer whale is a dolphin, not a whale. Likewise, the “killer” part of their name is grossly misleading. Not only has the species never been known to attack a human, it is the least common whale for any vessel to encounter in the water (due in part to highly-specialized echolocation that alerts them to boats and/or people from long distances). Of the 11 species of whales known to have ship strikes, the killer whale accounted for only one ship strike of the 292 recorded from 1975-2002.
-TSF-
