By Jonathan Willet
Published: Jul 14, 2014More by Jonathan
Wilderness guide and wildlife expert Jonathan Willet shares his experience and research on How to spot Killer Whales (Orcas) in Scotland.
These amazing animals are the biggest members of the dolphin family. They are truly enormous. The biggest one ever measured was a male 30ft (9.6m) long and 10 tonnes in weight. The ones seen in Scottish Waters are closer to 21 feet long (7m) and 6 tonnes, but that is still a lot of dolphin!
What are Killer Whales or Orcas?
The Latin name for Killer Whales is Orcinus orca, which means the whale of the kingdom of the dead.
Some authorities think that the name Killer Whale came from the Basque whalers of the 18th century who named it the whale killer as some groups do specialise in killing whales. Orca has become the more commonly used name recently as Killer is somewhat pejorative and they aren’t whales; mind you Orca does mean whale in Latin.

Killer Whale spotted off the island of Eigg during one of our sailing and walking trips.