'An enormous mass of flesh armed with teeth': How orcas gained their 'killer' reputation

The first written description of an orca (Orcinus orca) comes from Pliny the Elder, an officer of the Roman Empire.  (Image credit: slowmotiongli/Getty Images)

Interest in orcas is currently surging, with attacks on boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and a pair of liver-eating killer whales targeting great white sharks off South Africa. 

In "The Killer Whale Journals: Our Love and Fear of Orcas," biologist and whale researcher Hanne Strager explores our relationship with one of the oceans biggest predators. In the extract from the book below, the author looks at the very first written descriptions of orcas – and how early naturalists struggled to define these intelligent and deadly animals.