Orcas Worldwide

Argentinian Transients

Argentinian Transient killer whales are not widely studied. However, there are a few specimens in captivity. Kshamenk is a full breed Argentinian Transient, and he has fathered two calves through artificial insemination, Kamea and Makani. The two calves are half Argentinian, half Icelandic.

Argentinian Transients are known for a very impressive, unique behavior. They run seals up onto seal whelping beaches, and then grab the pups resting on the shore. During this process, a whale will almost fully beach itself before effortlessly sliding back into the water with a writhing seal pup in their mouth. This behavior is not widely observed in the species anywhere else in the world, making them truly one of a kind. It's really a testament to the power and intelligence of killer whales.

Icelandic Killer Whales

Icelandic killer whales have a very specific look to them. They have very large eye patches, and large, light colored saddle patches. Their white skin is also very white, and not orangey or yellow as in some other ecotypes.

Killer whales in Iceland mostly eat the local fish, herring, cod, etc. In the last fifty years, as industrial fishing has picked up in the area, the orcas learned to follow the boats around, nabbing the loose fish in the nets for an easy meal. This has caused some scuffles; whales have been accidentally trapped in the nets, before fishermen set them free again.

This behavior was preyed upon in the 1970s and 80s, when Iceland hosted orca captures. Using the fishing boats to lure the whales in, they were then easy to net. Most whales in captivity today are at least partially, if not fully Icelandic.

Iceland has had ongoing issues with animal welfare, particularly that of whales. Icelandic whaling continues to happen, as baleen whales are harvested for their oil and meat. This practice is inhumane and not necessary, but a luxury industry. Often, these whales die painful and elongated deaths, as harpooning and other outdated instruments are used in these hunts.

Offshore Killer Whales

Offshores are an entire ecotype, the same way that 'Residents' and 'Transients' are ecotypes. Little is known about offshores, because, they are, by their very name, off-shore. They are infrequently spotted and hard to catalogue. They probably live throughout the world and tend to prey on sharks, and large fish like tuna. Offshore orcas also tend to have more nicks in their fins than other ecotypes because of their food choices. Notably, offshores also tend to travel in really massive groups of 100+ whales, something we just don't see with other types of orcas.

Killer Whales Migrating Between Iceland and Scotland

This is an extremely small group of killer whales that migrate between Iceland and Scotland on an annual basis. There are just seventeen whales in the catalogue for this group, and it's not known exactly what they eat or why they migrate! This is absolutely fascinating.

Type A

As researchers have learned more about them, we've discovered that these Antarctic whales are specialized groups. Type A killer whales mostly hunt minke whales. Minkes are baleen whales, several times larger than an orca, yet Type As have been known to hunt these whales down for miles on end. They're truly top predators. Type A killer whales are the largest of the Antarctic ecotypes and have the most characteristic 'killer whale', look to them.

Type B

Type B killer whales show very noticeable physical differences when compared to Type As, revealing that they've probably been genetically diverged for thousands of years. Bs tend to be smaller and have large saddle patches that are more yellow than gray. Like Bigg's Transients far north, Bs mostly eat varying species of Antarctic seals. They also eat penguins! Type Bs are probably split into further designations and have their own culture for each.

Type C

Of all the Antarctic types, Type Cs are the smallest. Physically, they most resemble Type Bs, because they also have the yellowish saddle patches. It's thought that orcas develop yellow or orange looking skin in very cold waters, where they cannot slough off their dead skin. Type Cs have been observed swimming north to warmer waters to slough off their layers of dead skin before swimming back south to their home waters. They tend to travel in large pods rather than small family groups, and eat fish- specifically Antarctic cod.

Type D

Type D killer whales are perhaps some of the rarest cetaceans on the planet. They are identifiable by their extremely small eye patches. They have only been observed by humans a handful of times. They were first documented after a mass stranding in south New Zealand in 1955, and have remained mysterious ever since. Currently, there is one skin scraping sample taken from a Type D in the entire world, in Chile. Scientists think that Type Ds eat Patagonian toothfish.

More about Norway's Orcas

Both photos are courtesy of Emma Luck, Flukeprint Photography.

Norway's orcas are studied by a group called Norwegian Orca Survey. They do great photography and conservation work, and have contributed to large projects such as Blue Planet II. Norwegian killer whales are likely many separate groups that haven't been accurately observed yet, as they've been seen eating fish as well as seals, behaviors we know to be indicative of genetic change.

Norwegian killer whales have experienced population stresses and environmental changes in the last fifty years.

Commercial fishing in Norway can prove to be very dangerous for the unlucky local whales. As the fishermen reel in their nets, local orcas, who have learned to follow the boats for an easy meal, can sometimes get caught in the fishing nets. Although all documented cases of this phenomenon have ended with the whale being cut free and surviving, the chances of a whale drowning in a net are still very high. Nonetheless, they seem to be doing alright, and I hope they continue to thrive for centuries more.

Surprisingly to me anyway, as in Iceland, whaling is an ongoing issue in Norway. Baleen whales, primarily, are hunted and killed for their oil and meat. Whale steaks are on grocery store shelves in Norway. This practice is cruel, outdated, and unnecessary.

South Alaskan Resident Orcas

As of 2012, there are eighteen pods of resident orcas in Southern Alaska. Some specific pods' territory reaches far down the Canadian West coast, and they may even intermingle with Northern Resident orcas. An Alaskan Resident's alphanumeric designation will always begin with an A, then another letter, like B, G, or X, for example, then an individual two digit number, like 22 or 34, then their adoptive names. For example, AF29 Pelican. This signals that he is an Alaskan Resident, that he is in AF pod, and that he is the 29th born member of AF pod.

The Alaska Residents have been hit extraordinarily hard by oil spills into their habitats since offshore oil drilling began in AK, particularly the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1988. Some matrilines have been extincted entirely by oil poisoning. Whole families, whole pods, whole cultures and dialects, wiped off the face of the earth forever. These oil spills also dramatically effect the whales left behind. In the face of mass death, the family groups often reorganize themselves, splitting or coming back together when they had once lived apart. It's not exactly clear why they do this, but it's thought that it has something to do with the general matriarchy of killer whales.

AB pod was particularly ravaged by the Exxon Valdez spill. Two of their matriarchs died right before the spill occurred, causing stress within the group. When the spill hit, two more of the remaining leading matriarchs were killed, and their calves were soon to follow. The lone survivor of this catastrophe was male AB3. In general, male resident killer whales do not do well on their own. AB3 was no exception, although he survived for an extraordinary eight years after the spill, before undergoing full dorsal collapse and disappearing in 1996.

Even many years after the oil spill, male killer whales in this population still underwent dorsal collapse occasionally. It's rare in the wild, but it makes sense in this context.

Two major regions that the residents seem to visit every year is the Kenai Fjord and Prince William Sound. Some groups visit both, others just one, but it seems that these are two major feeding grounds for these fish eating orcas.

Interestingly, the pods of the Alaska Residents have been recorded having unique dialects and calls to each group. Even to the untrained ear, they sound different. These calls and clicks can be used to identify a pod.

Although Southern and Northern Residents seem to have a taste almost exclusively for salmon, Alaska Residents probably aren't as picky. Although they are seen eating salmon often, they also have been observed hunting halibut and other white fish, which I found interesting, given the Southern Residents totally polarized diet.

Chugach Transient Orcas

The Chugach Transients are an all but extinct group of transient killer whales native to the Kenai Fjord region. Before the Exxon Valdez spill, there were just 22 of them, and after the oil spill, only seven remained by 2005. With no new calves born since 1984, the ecotype is functionally extinct.

The remaining Chugach as of 2021 are as follows: AT2 Evanhof, AT4 Chenega, AT3 Ewan, AT9 Gail, her son AT10 Eleshansky, AT18 Ituka, and AT6 Egagutak. As of 2021, these seven are still alive. However, all of their females are past reproductive age, and the lineage will end with these whales.

The loss of the Chugach transients is nothing less than tragic. With their own hunting strategies for catching harbor seals, their own language, their own culture and bonds, their intricate nature, I don't know how Alaska will fare without them in the centuries to come. It seems that the Chugach could survive thousands of years of change in the Alaskan Fjord, but they could not hold on after a preventable oil spill.

In some small way, I don't know anyone could move on, I don't know how anyone could live knowing that the Chugach are destined to disappear. It's important that we preserve Evanhov, Chenega, Ewan, Gail, Eleshansky, Ituka, and Egagutak for however long they live, and provide them with a heathy and bountiful habitat to survive in.

Gulf of Alaska Transient Orcas

The Gulf of Alaska Transients, or GOA, for short, are a small but stable population inhabiting the, well, Gulf of Alaska. They spend a lot of time offshore, but seem to be in good condition as an ecotype. DNA evidence suggests that Transient groups in south AK are genetically divergent. It's thought that GOA transients hunt Stellar sea lions and Dall's porpoises, among other marine mammals. It also appears that they are native to this region specifically, having not been seen anywhere else on the Alaskan Coast.

New Zealand Orcas

The study of orcas in New Zealand was spearheaded by a cetologist named Dr. Ingrid Visser. The whales in these waters have since been catalogued and studied, and Dr. Visser knows many of them by eye. Like the Southern Residents, some NZ whales have cute adoptive names, like Pickle.New Zealander orcas do something unique. They hunt stingrays, usually by fluking the flat fish to startle them and make them easier to catch. This behavior is fascinating to observe.

West Australia Orcas

The photos you see on this page are of West Australian orcas in Bremer Bay, Australia. Up above is WA007 Swirl! Unlike other orcas around the world, WA orca seem to be generalistic in their feeding patterns, feeding on both marine mammals and fish. Interestingly, they most commonly feed on giant squid species in the summer, which I think is insane. These whales are native to this region and are not the same as Antarctic orcas. Bremer Bay is a convergence spot for West Australia orcas, as ocean currents and plate tectonics have formed ideal habitat for these squid hunting killer whales.

About California Orcas

Much like their name suggests, California Transients are whales who live off the coast of California, in the Western United States. They feed off of seals and baleen whales, and are well known, particularly in the Santa Clara region. Unfortunately, there has been no census conducted on them since 1997, so their exact numbers and population patterns are not always known. Nonetheless, they seem to be doing well in the area. CA Transients have been observed hunting minke whales, as well as humpback calves, which is a truly daring endeavor, given that the orcas are often a fraction of the size of their prey.

CA Transients are sometimes also called Bigg's killer whales, and they are very similar to the T Transients native to more northern waters. These whales' feeding patterns are very energetic and really a testament to the animals' power.

The Southern Residents also sometimes visit these same waters in the summertime, to hunt for salmon. Offshore orcas have also been seen in the region!

California Killer Whale Project

These whales are studied by the recently formed California Killer Whale Project. They're a really awesome organization, and all the photos you see on this page are courtesy of them. Read more about them in my Bibliography and Sources and Whale Photographers sections.

Russian Residents

Russian Resident killer whales eat fish, and mostly inhabit the Avacha Gulf, in Far East Russia, where Atka mackerel spawn. Atka are fatty and nutritious, and are a favorite food of these whales. However, more recently, they have begun to feed on Pacific salmon as mackerel stocks diminish thanks to overfishing. There are more resident whales than transient ones here, but residents are currently facing food scarcity and habitat disruption.

Russian Transients

Russian transients are the less populous ecotype in Russia. They eat seals and other marine mammals and often converge in the Sea of Okhotsk, which has become a prime capture ground for orca captors. Live killer whales are worth millions of dollars, and many Russian transients have been taken and placed in marine parks in the east, like Cookie, Dillon, Dora, Goren, Nord, Narnia, Naja, and several others, whose names and whereabouts are not known. Recently, the Whale Sanctuary Project scored a huge victory, when Russia added Russian Transient Killer Whales to their Red Book, which is their list of endangered species. They also helped to release many orcas and belugas from the "Whale Jail", aka, the Center for the Adaption of Marine Mammals, all in 2019.

Vasilievna is a notable whale from the Center for the Adaption of Marine Mammals. She's likely a Russian Transient, and was captured in Okhotsk in August of 2018 and held there for ten months, until she was released in June of 2019, along with Leha, another orca living in the "Jail". Six months after her release, she was spotted hunting with a group of seven wild orca in her native home.

Vasilievna's is a story of survival, but she never should have been captured and harmed the way she was. It's important that we prevent captures from happening, anywhere, ever again. Capture kills wild animals, destroys families, and destroys ecosystems.

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