Orcas, despite being dolphins, are commonly called ‘killer whales’ due to a mistranslation of the Spanish phrase ‘asesino de ballenas’ which means ‘whale killer.’ This name comes from ancient sailors observing them hunt larger whales.
A more technically accurate translation would’ve been whale killers.
It’s a bit of a misnomer.
Orcas, despite being dolphins, are commonly called ‘killer whales’ due to a mistranslation of the Spanish phrase ‘asesino de ballenas’ which means ‘whale killer.’ This name comes from ancient sailors observing them hunt larger whales.
A more technically accurate translation would’ve been whale killers.
Dolphins are a kind of whale, so the name works either way.