Where Did the Term "Killer Whale" Come From?

Since Orcas are not even whales, you might be wondering where the term killer whale came from. The term killer whale originated from the phrase "whale killer" or "killer of whales".  This phrase was given to Orcas because they are such great hunters that they have been known to eat other whales.  Because of this, many people feared that they would also attack humans like they fear shark attacks.  In reality, there has been zero documented cases of an Orca killing a human being.  This fear lead to great misunderstandings about the whales and many undue killings.