11. Orcas Coloring Works Like Camouflage
To us, the orca’s black and white coloration seems bold and immediately recognizable. However, their coloration makes them hard to see from below, making prey less likely to spot them. The unique blocking of their colors also makes the killer whale seem smaller to other marine wildlife, and therefore not as much of a danger. Different groups of killer whales have evolved to have different patterns, with some having murkier white sections, and there’s some speculation that killer whales use these patterns to distinguish members of their pods and family groups from other orcas.
Some specific ecotypes of orcas have even specialized in stealth killing, taking advantage of their near-silent swimming, their speed, and their coloration to ambush larger prey! This behavior can most often be seen in offshore orcas, specifically the North Atlantic Type 2 orcas, who almost exclusively hunt other dolphins and whales (like the Minke whale).