Killer whales are an integral part of Indigenous folklore and culture in the Pacific Northwest. Photo by Bart van meele/Unsplash This story was originally published by Atlas Obscuraand appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Sleek. Legendary. Huge. Extremely vulnerable. That is the picture emerging from new research on killer whales from California to British Columbia to Alaska. Revered by some Indigenous cultures as guardians of the sea and reincarnations of chiefs, orcas are apex predators whose numbers have dwindled. The new study is one of the first in-depth examinations into the causes of their mortality. Known as “killer whales” for their ability to prey on larger whales, orcas in the Pacific Northwest have suffered from fatal encounters with ships and other vessels, malnutrition, disease, and accidental stranding due to sudden shifts in tides, according to the study, recently published in PLOS One. The goal of the research, led by the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and involving multiple agencies and institutions in Canada and the United States, is to offer insights to help improve conservation and management efforts.