A toothed whale (family Delphinidae) that has a black back, a white front and underside, a white patch around the eye, and a dorsal fin up to 1.8 m high. Males are up to 8 m long, females smaller. Killer whales occur in all oceans and are highly social, often living in pods that are very stable family groups. They feed on a variety of animals, often hunting in packs, but different populations specialize in fish, mammals, birds, or squid. In the wild they are not ordinarily a threat to humans.