Killer Whale (Orca) information for eco-tour adventures

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Fisheries and Oceans Canada - News Release

BG-PR-02-008E

July 9, 2002

THE KILLER WHALE (ORCA)

The killer whale, or orca, is a marine mammal that is part of a group called cetaceans (pronounced ‘set-AY-shans’). This group shares a number of characteristics and includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Killer whales are found in all the world’s oceans, from polar to tropical seas. They seem to be most common in cold water regions, such as Iceland, Norway, Japan, Antarctica and the northeastern Pacific coast from Washington State to the Bering Sea.

There are two very different types, or races, of killer whale in B.C - resident and transient. They look very similar, but they act very differently,

Resident killer whales eat mainly fish. Their dorsal fins tend to be rounded at the top. They live in family groups of 5 to 50 whales, called pods. There are 19 pods of resident killer whales in B.C., adding up to about 275 animals. Resident killer whales are divided into separate northern and southern communities.

The northern community of resident killer whales lives off northern Vancouver Island and the mainland coast as far north as southeast Alaska. Northern residents often visit Johnstone Strait off northeastern Vancouver Island.

The southern community of residents is found off southern Vancouver Island. Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca are good places to view them. Northern and southern residents are sometimes seen in winter, but vanish for months at a time.

Transient killer whales eat marine mammals, such as seals, sea lions and porpoises. Their dorsal fins are more pointed. They usually travel in small groups of two to four animals who may or may not be related to each other. At least 218 transient killer whales are known to roam the coastal waters of B.C. and southeast Alaska. Transient killer whales are not predictable; they can be seen anywhere, anytime. Transient and resident killer whales do not mix with each other.

What may be a third type of killer whale has been discovered in recent years. Researchers call them offshore killer whales, but since they have not been seen very often, very little is known about them.

In 1972, researchers began taking pictures of individual whales. From these photos, and by watching who travelled with whom, they learned that family life centres around females, and that a mother and her calves stay together for life.

Using all this information, researchers have put together family trees for all of B.C.’s resident killer whales. Family members within a pod are each identified by a letter and a number. They can often identify a family by identifying one whale in a group.

Sound is very important to killer whales. Each family group of whales has its own set of unique sounds or discrete calls, created using air trapped in their blowholes, which together form its dialect. Researchers believe that the more similar the dialects between two pods, the closer they are related.

In 2001, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed resident killer whales as endangered, and transient killer whales as threatened.

Continuing long-term study will lead to a better understanding of killer whales and their habitat needs.