Orca Mourning Her Calf Shows the Complexity of Killer Whale Emotions

An orca helps herd a school of herring in the deep waters of the Andfjorden in Norway.

An orca lifts its head from the surface of the water in the Andfjorden in Norway.

Orcas travel in close pods of up to 40 and often work together to attack nearby prey. The orcas of this pod prepare to herd and hunt a mass of herring in the Andfjorden in Norway.

An orca breaches out of the water in Alaska.

Orcas are intelligent hunters and use different techniques to catch their prey. Here an orca begins to push a school of herring to the surface to make the prey easier to hunt in the Andfjorden in Norway.

An orca mother and calf find a spot to breathe between ice in the McMurdo Sound in Antarctica.

A pod of orcas surface the water and spout in Alaska.

Orcas below the surface prepare to feed on herring nearby in Norway.

Orcas can be found in any ocean but often frequent cold coastal waters. Here an orca swims past a tabular iceberg.

Orcas in the waters of the Andfjorden in Norway.

Orcas get in place to hunt a school of herring in the Andfjorden in Norway. They use distinct calls to communicate and coordinate their attack.

An orca takes a breath as it breaks the waters surface in Alaska.

An orca tale sticks out of the surface as it dives to feed on herring in the Andfjorden in Norway.