Wild and Kind Kids Podcast

The Orca

• Wild and Kind Kids • Season 3 • Episode 1

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 25:09

What if you met a potential friend ... and they couldn’t understand a word you said?

Off the coast of Vancouver Island, a young orca named Kai has never met a stranger. He’ll race a dolphin, splash a sea lion, and try to turn just about anyone into a new friend. So when another pod of orcas swims into his family’s waters, Kai can hardly contain himself.

A whole pod of new friends?

Game. On.

But when Kai races over to introduce himself, something strange happens. The other young orcas just stare at him. His invitations to race go nowhere. His spectacular leap gets nothing but puzzled looks. Kai is sure they don’t want to play, until his grandfather shares something surprising about the way orca families communicate.

The story may be make-believe, but the science behind it is real. In this episode, kids will get to know the orca and learn: 

  • How orcas use echolocation to understand what’s around them
  • Why their black-and-white countershading can help them blend into the ocean
  • How orca pods work together to hunt
  • How different orca families can have their own dialects, with calls passed from one generation to the next

Special thanks to Tamara Kelley from the Orca Conservancy for joining us in this episode! Learn more about their work and how to take action at: orcaconservancy.org/take-action 

Wild and Kind Kids blends original animal stories with real science to help curious kids understand not just what animals do, but why. This screen-free science podcast for kids ages 3–8 is made for family listening, car rides, homeschool science, classrooms, or a quiet story before bed.

Keep exploring:

Resources we love: 

SPEAKER_03

Hi, Wild and Kind kids. Welcome to season three. We took a short break to recharge, and now we are so glad to be back. And we're ready to warm up. Today we are going to become sound detectives. So, first, everyone, make a clicking noise with your tongue. Very nice. And if you're listening and it's too hard, you can just say click. Okay, let's keep clicking, everyone. Now freeze. And listen. Here comes the detective part. We're gonna click and freeze again. But when we freeze, I want you to try to figure out where your clicks are traveling. Alright, try turning your head to the left and click. What did your sound hit?

SPEAKER_02

Um, it hit the brick it hit the portrait that we made with chalk.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, now turn it to the right and click.

SPEAKER_02

It hit Lizy. Oh no. It hit Lincoln.

SPEAKER_03

Alright. So you could tell where your click was traveling?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. How? We listened for um the it echoing off and going back towards us.

SPEAKER_03

That's pretty impressive. And that's actually how today's animal senses the world around it and hunts. Let's get learning. I'm Carrie, and I grew up on a zoo. I'm Lincoln.

SPEAKER_02

I'm Eliza. And we're wild about animals.

SPEAKER_03

Welcome to the Wild and Kind Kids Podcast. Hi, Lincoln and Eliza.

SPEAKER_02

Hi Mom.

SPEAKER_03

So guess what? We had two separate kids' requests for this week's animal. Adrian and Thomas both wrote in.

SPEAKER_02

Hi, Adrian. Hi, Thomas.

SPEAKER_03

Before I tell you what it is, let's see if our listeners can get it in three clues. First, this animal has whale in its name, but it isn't actually a whale. Second, it has a black and white body that almost looks like it's wearing a tuxedo. Third, it can be found in every ocean on earth. What do you think it is?

SPEAKER_02

Orca!

SPEAKER_03

Yes! It's an orca, orca, orca. Such a cool idea, Adrienne and Thomas. Orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family. Also known as killer whales, they are giant ocean mammals, known for their tall dorsal fin. That's the fin that sticks up from their back and their distinct black and white patterns. Now, a boy orca can be 20 to 25 feet long and weigh over 12,000 pounds. That's like as much as three cars. And that dorsal fin I mentioned, it can be taller than most humans. Orcas are found in every ocean on Earth, from icy Antarctica to warm tropical seas, which means they live in more places than almost any other mammal, except humans. And y'all, the amazing facts do not end there. Orcas are so cool, we needed to bring on an extra voice in today's episode. We got to talk to Tamara Kelly from the Orca Conservancy, an organization that works to protect wild orcas in the Pacific Northwest. And we asked her a very important question.

SPEAKER_00

Why are orcas so important to you? Just like with any animal, if you any animal population, if you if you have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with them and observe them, you begin to start to notice patterns, and I would even argue personality traits. And and with orcas, they're so special because um they're in a way they can be so much like humans. Like they stay with their families their whole lives, they have relationships within their pods, they have roles within their pods, they babysit, they have friends, and it's just it's almost like looking at a mirror sometimes, but um in years and years of being able to see these orcas, it's just you feel like you know them, and you feel like in a way they're they're they're part of your family.

SPEAKER_03

Y'all, I would love to know them. And we're gonna hear more from Tamra later in the episode. But did you hear what she said? Orcas stay with their families, they have roles, they babysit, they have friends, and that's not all that makes them incredible. Lincoln and Eliza, what can you tell us that makes orcas uniquely cool?

SPEAKER_02

They don't just see with their eyes, they make clicking sounds and listen to the echoes to figure out what's around them.

SPEAKER_03

Yes! Orcas use echolocation, just like other dolphins, and just like we kind of mimicked at the start of the episode. Echolocation is a big word to describe how something can use sound to see. Here's how it works for the orca. They make quick clicking sounds that travel through the water. And when the clicks bounce off a fish, a rock, or another animal, those echoes come back to the orca, and they give their brains clues about how big something is and how far away it is. An echolocation works especially well in the ocean because get this, sound travels five times faster through water than it does through air. Now, we can't hear it because it's actually at a frequency that's too high for our human ears. Alright, y'all, what else?

SPEAKER_02

Their colors might stand out to us, but in the wild, they actually act like camouflage.

SPEAKER_03

You're right. But Orca's camouflage is a special coloring that's called counter shading. So from above, their dark backs blend into the deep dark ocean. But from below, their white bellies blend into the bright sunlight that shines through the water. This special ocean camouflage helps them sneak up on prey and it makes them harder for other animals to spot. And every orca has its own markings. Scientists can look at things like the shape of their dorsal fin or that pale saddle patch, which is right behind it, to be able to tell individual orcas apart. It's almost like recognizing a face. What else, y'all?

SPEAKER_02

Orcas don't usually hunt alone. They work together like a team. People call them the wolves of the ocean.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, as Tamara told us, orcas live in close family groups, and we call those pods. Depending on what they're hunting, pod members work together in different ways. Some pods surround schools of fish and herd them into this tight bait ball. Others take turns chasing their prey to tire it out, or they might even make waves together to wash a seal off floating ice. Working together helps them catch food that would be much harder to catch alone.

SPEAKER_02

They are the top predator in the ocean.

SPEAKER_03

It's true, and a top predator needs a lot of food. Sometimes up to 500 pounds of food a day. Which would be like you sitting down to eat 2,000 hamburgers. Okay, one more fact.

SPEAKER_02

Orcas are very well traveled.

SPEAKER_03

It's true. Orcas live in icy Antarctica, the Arctic, and warm tropical seas. Some populations stay in the same spot for most of the year, while others travel hundreds or even thousands of miles following their favorite food. Because different orca pods often have entirely different diets. Some might only eat fish, some might only eat other mammals, others eat sharks and rays. Different pod, different lifestyles. So cool, y'all. You know what? I think it's time to meet one up close in our story of the day. Deep in the rugged, frigid waters off Vancouver Island, where towering waves rose and fell with ferocious energy, one very curious young orca darted after a slippery, speedy salmon. His name was Kai, and he had never met a stranger. Kai believed that every dolphin was worth chasing. He thought every sea lion deserved a cheerful splash. And if you were a lounging seabird, well, you just earned yourself an epic orca leap out of the water. If another animal appeared nearby, Kai's first thought was always, I wonder if they'll play with me. His cousins like to joke that if the ocean itself could talk, Kai would try to become friends with that too. And Kai always responded the same way. Game on. That's why he was especially happy on this day. Earlier, he'd heard the grown ups talking to one another. Another pod is swimming through these waters today, his aunt had said. Another pod? A whole new pod of new friends? From that moment on, he could hardly think about anything else. Every few minutes he'd pop his head above the waves and scan the horizon for tall black fins. His cousins exchanged knowing glances. Uh oh, his cousin Lee whispered.

SPEAKER_02

He's got that look that I'm about to make a bunch of new friends look.

SPEAKER_03

Kai just grinned. He couldn't deny it. Game on. Then, just before sunset, there a line of tall black dorsal fins rose and fell through the choppy waves. Kai's heart practically leaped out of his chest. They're here. He watched as the pod glided together. The adults appeared to be in the middle. The calves were tucked safely beside their mothers. Teenagers zigged and zagged through the water, occasionally bursting into the air with enormous splashes. They're amazing, thought Kai. He couldn't wait another second. With three powerful swishes of his tail, Kai rocketed across the water until he was swimming beside a group of young orcas about his age. He flashed his biggest smile.

SPEAKER_02

Hi.

SPEAKER_03

He chirped in a cheerful burst of calls.

SPEAKER_02

I'm Kai. You want to race to those kelp beds?

SPEAKER_03

They studied him carefully. He smiled encouragingly.

SPEAKER_02

And then Okay, I'll count us down. Three, two, one go Kai was off.

SPEAKER_03

He dove deep into the water and raced toward the kelp bed, dashing over giant boulders, scattering puzzled schools of fish. At last he bumped the first stalk with his nose.

SPEAKER_02

I win, that was so He turned around.

SPEAKER_03

Nobody was there. The other young orcas were exactly where he left them, just staring. One slowly tilted its head. Oh, you forgot to start. He swam back toward them. No problem. We'll try something else. He pointed toward the rolling waves. Leap off the young orca stared. Kai tried it a little slower.

SPEAKER_02

So we'll leap in the air. Highest leap wins. Ready?

SPEAKER_03

The dark eyes stared back.

SPEAKER_02

I'll count us down. Three, two, one.

SPEAKER_03

He dove deep beneath the waves, racing deeper and deeper until Kai burst from the ocean like a black and white rocket. He twisted, he spun. He slapped his tail against the water with an enormous A curtain of sparkling seawater sprayed into the air. Kai landed with a grin stretched from one side of his face to the other. He looked around for the other orcas. Your turn. The young orcas looked at one another. One sort of wiggled a fin in his direction, but nobody else really moved. They just watched him with puzzled eyes. Kai's smile got a little smaller. Maybe you didn't hear me leap Still nothing. Just a few more confused whistles between the young whales. Kai floated quietly for a moment. His tail barely moved. I guess he said softly. I'll see you around. He turned toward home. The swim back felt much longer than the swim over. By the time Kai reached his family, everyone was smiling, waiting for his stories. There he is, his cousin called.

SPEAKER_02

Game on.

SPEAKER_03

She cheered.

SPEAKER_02

Tell us everything. What would I like? Did you race? Did you make new friends? Are they my friends now?

SPEAKER_03

But maybe, for the first time in his life, Kai didn't have anything to say. He drifted quietly beside his grandfather and let out a long sigh.

SPEAKER_02

They they didn't understand me.

SPEAKER_03

His grandfather chuckled softly. Oh Kai. He rested his fin gently on Kai's back.

SPEAKER_01

You didn't do anything wrong.

SPEAKER_03

I didn't? No. Grandfather looked out toward the distant pod.

SPEAKER_01

You see, every orcopod has its own way of talking.

SPEAKER_03

Kai blinked. They do. His grandfather nodded.

SPEAKER_01

Who taught you to speak, Kai?

SPEAKER_02

Mama?

SPEAKER_01

Yes. And who taught your mama?

SPEAKER_02

You?

SPEAKER_01

That's right. And my mama taught me. He smiled. Every Orca family has its own special calls. Parents teach their calves, and one day those calves teach their own calves.

SPEAKER_03

Kai's eyes grew wide.

SPEAKER_01

So They weren't ignoring you. Your calls probably didn't sound like the calls they are used to hearing.

SPEAKER_03

Kai thought about that for a long moment.

SPEAKER_02

So they probably thought I was the confusing one.

SPEAKER_03

His grandfather laughed. Kai laughed too and covered his face with one fin.

SPEAKER_02

Oh no! They must be up completely zany.

SPEAKER_03

His grandfather smiled. Maybe just a little. Kai peeked out through his fin.

SPEAKER_02

So how do you make friends with someone who doesn't speak like you?

SPEAKER_03

Grandfather looked toward the other pod. He slowly swam into the open water where both pods could see him. He didn't whistle, he didn't call, he didn't invite anyone to race. He simply rose gently from the water and made one graceful splash with his tail. And then he waited for just a moment. Nothing happened, but then one of the older whales from the other pod rose its fin into the air. Grandfather smiled and splashed again. Another whale answered. Soon whales from both pods were leaping, splashing, swimming together beneath the golden evening sky. Nobody was leading, nobody was explaining the rules. They were just sharing the joy of being orcas. Kai watched in amazement. Then one of the young orcas peeked above the waves. She gave Kai a playful flick of her tail. Kai smiled. Instead of inviting her to play one of his games, he flicked his tail right back. She leapt. Kai leapt. She spun. Kai spun. Soon they were weaving through the waves together, inventing brand new games that belonged to both of them. Their calls still sounded different, but somehow they understood enough. As the sun slipped below the horizon, the two pods drifted apart once more. Kai watched his new friend disappear into the distance.

SPEAKER_02

I hope we meet again someday.

SPEAKER_03

Grandfather smiled. I think you will. Kai watched until the last black fin disappeared beyond the waves. And then he grinned.

SPEAKER_02

Next time, we'll make up a new game together. Game on.

SPEAKER_03

Alright, friends. Now today's story featured Lincoln as Kai, Eliza as Lely, John as the grandfather, and Carrie as the narrator. And just like always, our story is grounded in real animal science. We're talking about family frequencies.

SPEAKER_02

Just like in our story, scientists think different orchopods have their own dialects.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, a dialect is a language that's specific to a particular place or group. So, as you might have guessed, listeners, I live in the American South. I say y'all. But someone somewhere else might say you guys. Same language, different way of talking. Different orcopods can have their own dialects, a special collection of calls that members of their pod learn and use. Now, should we listen? Let's listen. That was recorded in Glacier Bay, Alaska, and is part of the National Park Service's Sound Gallery. Now, what's super cool is that baby orcas aren't born knowing those sounds. They learn them by listening to their mothers, their grandmothers, their brothers, their sisters, and other members of the pod. And as they grow up, they keep using those same calls with their family. Scientists can sometimes even tell which pod they're hearing just by the calls that they make. So while Kai's story was make-believe, the science behind it is absolutely real.

SPEAKER_02

Different orca families really do have their own different ways of talking. It makes them really unique. Now it's time for your Wild and Kind Mission!

SPEAKER_03

This week, with the help of a grown-up, your wild and kind mission is to speak up for the pod. Yes. Specifically, check out the Take Action page on the Orca Conservancy's website at OrcaConservancy.org slash take dash action. There, you can learn about ways big and small that you can help the Southern resident killer whales by taking small actions in your daily life, like eating sustainable seafood or avoiding plastic products you might only use once. And it turns out contacting the grown-ups in charge of your town or state can go a long way toward protecting orcas too. We heard from Tamara Kelly of the Orca Conservancy earlier. When we talked, she told us a story about a group of elementary age kids whose letter writing campaign helped secure more money to turn a former golf course with a creek running through it into a protected salmon habitat. And that's super important because the Southern resident orcas rely on salmon for 80% of their diet.

SPEAKER_00

That's something that kids did. Kids might not feel like they have much of a voice, but here's the thing: the future belongs to the kids, and a lot of these people are parents. And so when kids write to policymakers and it's like, hey, I care about this, this is why, this is my future, that holds so much weight with policymakers. Um, when they see that, especially when it's coming from a kid, that hold that holds a lot of a lot of power. And in a way, I definitely think kids have a lot more influence than sometimes myself or other adults.

SPEAKER_03

Orcas can't write to the people making decisions about their future, but you can, wild and kind listeners.

SPEAKER_02

Because small voices can make a big splash.

SPEAKER_03

Yes. Tamara, thanks for joining us today, and thank you for everything the Orca Conservancy does to protect these amazing marine mammals.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you so much for having me, and Wale wishes to you and all of your listeners.

SPEAKER_02

Before we go, it's time for wild and kind trivia.

SPEAKER_03

Last time we shared a riddle about an animal we haven't covered yet. It was the rainbow trout. The rainbow trout is a freshwater fish that is actually part of the salmon family. Now they are named for their stripes and dots that run down the side of their body, which have the colors of the rainbow. Did you get it? Are you ready for another chance to test your animal smarts? Now here we go.

SPEAKER_02

I'm taller than most, but I can't climb a tree. I snack on high leaves that are perfect for me. I have spots on my coat and a very long neck. What animal am I? Debate it with your family and tune in next time to hear the answer. See you then, Wilding Gun Kids.

SPEAKER_03

This podcast is produced by John, also known as Lincoln and Eliza's dad. If you are enjoying these adventures, please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave us a review and tell your friends. To find a coloring sheet for today's creature, explore more episodes, or request an animal for a future story, visit wildandkindkids.com. You can also find us on Instagram at Wild and Kind Kids Pod. Thanks for exploring with us, friends. Until next time.