The animal kingdom has a wide variety of species to choose from when someone asks the classic question, “What’s your favorite animal?” While some have personal connections to pets like cats or dogs, others go for the cutest option like pandas or capybaras. My go-to answer has gotten me strange looks for years. So I think it’s high time to educate the people of this world on why killer whales, or orcas, deserve a place in the Animal Hall of Fame. 

First of all, they are incredibly smart. They have their own language and different dialects between pods and regions. They also run their society based on a matriarchy, which furthers their intellectual superiority. I also believe that these powerful creatures are incredibly misunderstood thanks to the abuse they have endured from companies like SeaWorld.

Despite being most abundant in the cold waters of Alaska, Antarctica and Norway, killer whales are found in every single ocean. While this is already a fascinating detail, this species gets even cooler (haha, get it?) when you look at how detailed their dialect is. For instance, orcas inhabiting the Pacific Ocean record different language patterns than those in the Atlantic. This goes for many other pods, even if they inhabit the same region of the sea. 

Orcas that live in the southern waters have been recorded imitating the dialect of other pods in that region. While each community has a unique dialect, some vocalizations remain the same, allowing communication between pods under certain conditions.

Another factor that makes this species my favorite is their respect for maternal figures. In orca pods, the oldest female is viewed as the leader and has the most authority. This orca instructs the pod on essential tasks like how to hunt, speak and survive within the ocean’s harsh conditions. These matriarchs live up to 90 years and a premature death can lead to chaos and ruin of the structure of the pod. 

To me, this female-dominated world is one of the key reasons why killer whales have such a long lifespan. 

Now, some of you might have negative preconceived notions about this aquatic mammal due to the reported attacks of orcas in captivity at aquariums like SeaWorld. While it is natural to feel fear towards these powerful animals, the evidence shows that killer whales will only attack humans in situations where abuse is happening. 

In fact, there has never been a reported case of a fatal orca attack in the wild. Normally, orcas are neutral towards humans because they are intelligent enough to recognize that they are not food. When there is an instance of aggression it usually involves a boat being mistaken for food or having food on board. 

In other situations, the orcas slam into the boat’s rudder until it stops moving. These repeated attacks lead to theories that the killer whales become annoyed with or fear the movement created by the rudder and have taught other pods throughout their region how to put an end to this nuisance. While this is an inconvenience for human sailors, the cost is minimal and no injuries have resulted from these attacks.

Whether or not this is a fad, it still proves the incredible intellect of these animals, which only grows my appreciation for them. While I recognize the appeal of other animals, I hope this article has explained why orcas deserve some recognition when the topic of “favorites” comes up.

Hannah Bulgrin is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected]