False Killer Whale

False killer whales share orca social complexity without the apex predator role. They live in stable, multi-generational pods with strong social bonds, care for sick and elderly members, and demonstrate sophisticated cooperative hunting. Post-reproductive females remain in pods and appear to provide leadership benefits similar to orca grandmothers, suggesting the grandmother effect evolved independently in multiple cetacean lineages.

False killer whales add a dimension orcas lack: interspecies sociality. They frequently associate with bottlenose dolphins, forming mixed-species groups that persist for years. This suggests their social intelligence extends beyond species boundaries—they can recognize, bond with, and cooperate with non-conspecifics. Orcas, despite their intelligence, don't form such relationships.

The business parallel is social capital that extends across organizational boundaries. False killer whales are like executives who maintain productive relationships with competitors, regulators, and customers—social assets that work regardless of organizational affiliation. Their interspecies bonding shows that social intelligence can be generalized rather than specialized. Some organizations build social capital only internally (orca model); others build it across industry boundaries (false killer whale model). The latter creates optionality when organizational boundaries shift.