If you ask a person on the street to name the top predator in the sea,

If you ask a person on the street to name the top predator in the sea, most people would probably say the great white shark. But they would be wrong. A great white shark is a relentless eating machine, superbly designed for its role at the top of the food chain, but the fact is, when a great white shark meets a killer whale, the killer whale has lunch. Not bad for an animal that is neither a whale nor a killer.

The killer whale, known to scientists as orcinus orca, is one of the largest, fastest, and most intelligent predators in the world’s oceans. The orca is not technically a whale, but rather the largest member of the dolphin family. The name “orca” has become the preferred name for the animal, because the name “killer whale” perpetuates the myth that orcas are dangerous to humans; in fact, there has never been a recorded incident of an orca attacking a human in the wild. This is not to say, however, that orcas are not dangerous to other marine species. Orcas in the wild have been observed consuming an astonishing variety of marine species, including salmon, tuna, sharks, giant squid, penguins, sea lions, dolphins, and even other whales, which the orcas hold under water until they drown. It is thought that the English name “killer whale” came from a mistranslation of the Spanish name asesina de ballenas, or “whale killer.”

Despite decades of study, many aspects of the creatures’ life cycle and habits remain mysteries. Biologists only recently determined that there are, broadly speaking, three separate types of killer whale: residents, transients, and offshores. The residents live in large pods of up to 40 animals and primarily eat fish; these are the most social of the killer whale types, with each pod having distinctive songs and complex social interactions. Transients are much quieter animals who roam large distances in groups of two to six while hunting marine mammals such as sea lions and dolphins. It is the transients who earned the orca the reputation of being whale killers. The third type of orca is the offshore variety, which rarely ventures toward coasts. These poorly understood animals travel in large groups, are somewhat smaller than their coastal cousins, and are thought to eat fish, sharks, and squid, but probably not other mammals.

1. The statement in the first paragraph that the killer whale is “neither a whale nor a killer” (Highlighted) has which of the following meanings?

A. The preferred name for the orcinus orca is the orca, a name that does not have the negative connotations of “killer whale.”
B. The killer whale is a type of dolphin that is not known to have ever attacked a human in the wild.
C. The orca is actually a more powerful predator than even the great white shark.
D. The killer whale is a type of dolphin that kills other whales by holding them under water until they suffocate.
E. Some believe that the name “killer whale” is an inaccurate translation of a term used by Spanish sailors that means “whale killer.”



2. According to the information presented in the passage, what can be inferred about an orca that is observed killing and eating a juvenile minke whale?

A. The orca is part of a large pod of orcas that rarely approaches coastal areas.
B. The orca is eating the minke whale only because the orca’s normal food, fish such as salmon and tuna, cannot be found in the area.
C. The orca engaged in distinctive songs and complex social interactions with the minke whale prior to killing it.
D. The orca is most likely of the variety of killer whales known as transients.
E. If the orca had not eaten the minke whale, the minke whale would most likely have been eaten by a great white shark.



3. Which of the following questions is most likely to represent one of the “mysteries” (Highlighted) at the beginning of the third paragraph?

A. Do all orcas maintain the same diet, or do some specialize in certain types of prey?
B. Is the orca more closely related to whales or to dolphins?
C. Do different orca pods exhibit any form of organization in their whale songs?
D. Do orcas view swimming humans as a desirable source of food?
E. What is the average lifespan of an orca of the offshore variety?