Killer Whale |Sanctuaire pour les mammifères marins Agoa

(Orcinus orca)

Identity card

Taxonomy

Order: Odontocetes
Family: Delphinidae
Species: Orcinus orca

Measurements

5 to 9.8 m, weighing 2 500 to 9 500 kg

Lifespan

60 to 90 years

IUCN Status

Data Deficient
(International Red List, Martinique 2020 Red List, Guadeloupe 2022 Red List)

Habitat

Killer Whales are found all over the world, in all oceans from polar to tropical.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity is reached between 10 and 15 years. Females give birth to a calf every 3 to 12 years after a 14 to 18-month gestation period. Births take place in autumn.

Diet

They are carnivores and feed on cetaceans, fish, molluscs, turtles, seals, sea lions, sea birds, etc. The Killer Whale can migrate if food resources become scarce.

Morphological characteristics for identification at sea

Head: broad and round, very blunt rostrum
Fins: dorsal fin curved to left or right, large paddle-shaped flippers up to 2 m in length
Spout: apparent and bushy, raising 1 to 2 m high.
Swim sequence: diving for sometimes up to 17 minutes to reach a depth below 250 m
Colouring: black back, white flanks from chin to anus, oval white patch above and behind the eyes, grey patch or "saddle" behind the dorsal fin

Did you know?

Although only one species of Killer Whale has been officially identified to date, about ten different 'types' have been identified and may soon be classified as subspecies or as completely separate species.