Photos

An orca tale sticks out of the surface as it dives to feed on herring in the Andfjorden in Norway.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

An orca takes a breath as it breaks the waters surface in Alaska.
PHOTOGRAPH BY FLIP NICKLIN, MINDEN PICTURES, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Orcas get in place to hunt a school of herring in the Andfjorden in Norway. They use distinct calls to communicate and coordinate their attack.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Orcas in the waters of the Andfjorden in Norway.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Orcas can be found in any ocean but often frequent cold coastal waters. Here an orca swims past a tabular iceberg.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Orcas below the surface prepare to feed on herring nearby in Norway.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

A pod of orcas surface the water and spout in Alaska.
PHOTOGRAPH BY FLIP NICKLIN, MINDEN PICTURES, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

An orca mother and calf find a spot to breathe between ice in the McMurdo Sound in Antarctica.
PHOTOGRAPH BY NORBERT WU, MINDEN PICTURES, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Orcas are intelligent hunters and use different techniques to catch their prey. Here an orca begins to push a school of herring to the surface to make the prey easier to hunt in the Andfjorden in Norway.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

An orca breaches out of the water in Alaska.
PHOTOGRAPH BY FLIP NICKLIN, MINDEN PICTURES, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Orcas travel in close pods of up to 40 and often work together to attack nearby prey. The orcas of this pod prepare to herd and hunt a mass of herring in the Andfjorden in Norway.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

An orca lifts its head from the surface of the water in the Andfjorden in Norway.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

An orca helps herd a school of herring in the deep waters of the Andfjorden in Norway.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL NICKLEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION