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Related species
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Orcinus - Species in
Delphinidae - - Classification -
- Delphinidae
- Cetartiodactyla
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Animalia
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Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)
Killer whale| Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050 |
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| This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed. |
| Orcinus orca AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS |
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS
Mammalia | Cetartiodactyla | Delphinidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Pelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 75906); depth range 0 - 2652 m (Ref. 116169). Tropical; 90°N - 90°S, 180°W - 180°E
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions
Circumglobal. Climate: cosmopolitan.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 570 - 660 cm Max length : 980 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1394); 850 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 10.0 t (Ref. 1394)
Transient migration (Ref. 8689). Lives in matrilines throughout their lifetime (Ref. 97337). Commonly found in nearshore, cold temperate to subpolar waters (Refs. 1394, 936). Forms large social groups and strong social bonds. Feeds cooperatively (Refs. 122680, 130961). Feeds on sharks, large baleen whales (Ref. 122680), all oceanic cetaceans, pinniped, penguins, and other seabirds, leatherback turtles, squid and many types of fish (Refs. 1394, 936). Three ecotypes identified along California and Oregon: residents (piscivorous), transients (mammal-eating) and offshores (preference for shark and other large fishes). Bite marks indicate attacks from Isistius sp. (Ref. 130791).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Polygamous (Ref. 8653). Sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females (Ref. 97315). Females have higher preference for non-pod males that arrive as part of a matriline than males that arrive alone. Multiple mating occurs based on testis size to body size ratios; females mate with more than one male during associations between pods (Ref. 97337). Calving is diffusely seasonal, with a peak in autumn for northeastern Pacific species (Ref. 97343).
Main reference
References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Tan, J.M.L. 1995 A Field Guide to the Whales and Dolphins in the Philippines. Makati City: Bookmark. 125 p. (Ref. 936)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 20 June 2017
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Appendix II: International trade monitored
CMS (Ref. 116361)
Appendix II: Migratory species conserved through agreements
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings, species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us
Tools
More information
Trophic Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Life cycle
Distribution
Physiology
Oxygen consumption
Human Related
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Taxonomy
References
Internet sources
BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Fisheries: species profile; publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref. 115969): 0.3 - 13.1, mean 3.1 (based on 13394 cells).
Resilience
(Ref. 69278):
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.1-0.17; tm=9.4).
Price category
(Ref. 80766):
Unknown.