Orcas are not whales. They’re actually dolphins. And dolphins are whales! Taxonomy can be funny sometimes. When we say orcas aren’t whales, we mean they’re not baleen whales, like humpbacks, which is what most people mean when they talk about whales. But the broader classification of whales, Cetacea, includes both baleen and toothed whales. So orcas, dolphins, sperm whales, belugas, and narwhals are all toothed whales. Toothed whales, like orcas, are incredibly social and intelligent animals. They rely on one another for safety and hunt in coordinated, strategic formations. Orcas can dive as deep as 1,000 meters and swim up to 65 kilometers in a single day, whether in search of food or simply for play or exercise. Some populations even pass down unique vocal dialects and hunting traditions from generation to generation. Proof that there is culture in the deep blue sea. There is no way to confine these animals in an ethical way. They need their community and the vast, wide open spac...