Killer Whale splashes onto the ABC

29th July 2025

Killer Whale: Australia’s Megapod splashes onto the ABC this August

Narrated by acclaimed actor Richard Roxburgh, follow the awe-inspiring story of a unique group of killer whales when Killer Whale: Australia’s Megapod premieres on Tuesday 26 August at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. 

In the Bremer Sub Basin about 60kms off the south coast of Western Australia, lives the truly formidable Bremer Canyon megapod. Join Australia’s leading killer whale scientists, Dr Rebecca Wellard, John Totterdell and Dr Isabella Reeves, as they unravel the secrets of this extraordinary pod in this one-off special documentary. 

Using tracking equipment, hydrophones, and cameras, we witness rare footage and hear firsthand accounts of the orcas’ intelligence, power, and social complexity. The researchers have mapped out family structures, how they socialise and how they communicate - they’ve even detected an ‘Aussie accent’.  

What’s more, these killers have a complex brain. Across the Atlantic in NYC, neuroscientists Dr Lori Moreno and Dr Patrick Hof inspect a rare specimen of an orca brain – looking at how the structure reveals that orcas are not just social, they’re cultural – which demonstrates a level of learning and identity. 

Don’t miss this rare glimpse into nature’s most formidable hunters.

Always free and Always entertaining, discover more enlightening and inspiring nature and science documentaries on ABC iview now.