14. Orcas Have Unique Dialects
Millions of years ago, it’s likely that orcas started splitting into regional and prey-specific groups to avoid competing with each other for food. Because of this, orca family groups started developing regional dialects, with each group creating their own “language” that was unique and distinct from other groups of orcas. Even within the regional dialects, some pods of whales could have what might be considered an “accent,” with certain sounds being distinct to the pod and not emulated in other pods in the region.
The unique dialects can be as specific as belonging to just one family group, or “pod,” of orcas, passed down through the generations, or can cover wider regional areas with only a few variations between pods. This distinctive split makes orcas incredibly efficient hunters, as they’re not competing with others of their own species for the same prey. However, should an orca from one group spend time with a pod of orcas from another group, the “outsider” killer whale can learn the dialect, much like a human can learn a new language. Killer whales have even been observed mimicking the sounds of other species of dolphin, indicating the potential to learn communication outside their own species.