Orca whales aren't actually whales at all! In fact, they are the largest species of the dolphin family. Orcas are sometimes called "killer whales" because they are skilled predators.

Orcas are usually between 16 and 19 feet long and can weigh over 8 tons! Orcas are some of the fastest marine animals, and can swim up to 35 miles per hour.

There are three types of Orca whales:

• Resident Orcas live in the Puget Sound off of Washington State. They are our neighbors!
• Transient Orcas live travel up and down the Pacific coastline from Alaska to California
• Offshore Orcas can be found in ocean waters all over the world.

The different types of Orcas have different eating habits, form different types of whale families, and even look slightly different. For most of our whale adventure, we will be learning about the Resident Orcas of the San Juan Islands.

To see where the Resident Orcas have recently been spotted,

Click here! (this information is provided by OrcaNetwork.org)