Register of Antarctic Species (RAS) - Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)

(of Delphinus orca Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. 1(10) [iii], 824 p., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 77 [details] Available for editors

[request]

Type data

Note "Oceano Europaeo"

From editor or global species database

Type locality "Oceano Europaeo" [details]

Descriptive notes

Distribution cosmopolitan

Distribution cosmopolitan [details]

Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean; Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean

Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean; Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details]

Taxonomic citation

Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137102 on 2025-07-05

Taxonomic edit history

Date

action

2004-12-21 15:54:05Z

created

van der Land, Jacob

2008-08-20 11:25:36Z

checked

Perrin, William

Licensing

The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

[taxonomic tree]

Nomenclature

original description (of Delphinus orca Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. 1(10) [iii], 824 p., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 77 [details] Available for editors

[request]

basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]

Ecology

ecology source Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1). (look up in IMIS), available online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02745-4 [details]

Other

context source (Deepsea) Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), available online at http://www.iobis.org/ [details]

context source (PeRMS) Reyes, J. (2009). Ballenas, delfines y otros cetáceos del Perú. Una fuente de información. Lima- Perú. Squema-Ediciones. 160 pp. [details]

additional source Carwardine, M., E. Hoyt, R. E. Fordyce and P. Gill. 1998. Whales, dolphins and porpoises. Time-Life Books. Nature Company Guides, USA. 288 p. [details]

additional source Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. , available online at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html [details]

additional source Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. In Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. 723--743., available online at http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ [details]

additional source Rice, D. W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication. 4., available online at http://www.marinemammalscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/MarineMammalsOfTheWorld.pdf [details]

additional source Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of Living Whales. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. (246): 1-259., available online at https://doi.org/10.5479/si.03629236.246 [details]

additional source Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam. [details]

additional source IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, available online at http://www.iucnredlist.org [details]

additional source Perrin, W.F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J.G.M. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Second edition. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9. xxix, 1316 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]

additional source Heyning, J. E. and M. E. Dahlheim. (1988). Orcinus orca. Mammalian Species 304:1--9. [details] Available for editors

[request]

additional source King, C.M.; Roberts, C.D.; Bell, B.D.; Fordyce, R.E.; Nicoll, R.S.; Worthy, T.H.; Paulin, C.D.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Keyes, I.W.; Baker, A.N.; Stewart, A.L.; Hiller, N.; McDowall, R.M.; Holdaway, R.N.; McPhee, R.P.; Schwarzhans, W.W.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Rust, S.; Macadie, I. (2009). Phylum Chordata: lancelets, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. pp. 431-554. [details]

additional source Schmidly, D. J. and B. Würsig. 2009. Mammals (Vertebrata: Mammalia) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1343–1352 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas. [details]

additional source Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors

[request]

additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]

Present

Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio

Inaccurate

Introduced: alien

Containing type locality

From editor or global species database

Diet Numerous fish, squid, and marine mammal species, including blue whales; even gulls, penguins and turtles. [details]

Dimensions Length: male 17-29 1/2' (5.1-9 m), female 15-25 1/2' (4.6-7.7 m), at birth 6'+ (1.9 m +). Largest of all dolphins. [details]

Holotype None in existence; name based on killer whale of authors. [details]

IUCN Red List Category Data Deficient (DD) [details]

Type locality "Oceano Europaeo" [details]

Unreviewed

Distribution cosmopolitan [details]

Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean; Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details]

Habitat inshore and offshore [details]

Predators None [details]

Reproduction Breed in spring and summer off the coast of Washington. Gestation is a year. [details]

Definitions

Language	Name
Afrikaans	moordvis	[details]
Aleut	dukuladaguluk	[details]
Anus	nookur	[details]
Basque	orkamarzuplaezpalarta	[details]
Bulgarian	Косаткаkosаtkа	[details]
Catalan	orca	[details]
Chukot	musonkjgyssiak	[details]
Czech	kosatka dravá	[details]
Danish	tandthoyesvarthvalsvaerdvalspækhuggerspaekhoggerornswin	[details]
Dutch	zwaardwalvisorkaorcabotskop	[details]
English	swordfishsword grampusorcakiller-trasherkiller whalegrampus	[details]
Faroese	bovhidehval	[details]
French	orque gladiateurorque épaulardorqueepée de merepaularddorque	[details]
German	SchwertwalOrcagroßer Schwertwal	[details]
Icelandic	sverdfiscurhuydinghahyrningurhahyrnahaa-hirningurfann-fiskar-hydengen	[details]
Indonesian	segunipaus pemangsa	[details]
Inuktitut	adluk	[details]
Italian	orca	[details]
Japanese	シャチtakamatsutakashachisakamatasadshi	[details]
Kalaallisut	ardlykardlursark	[details]
Korean	innuatubeom-gorae	[details]
Lithuanian	orka	[details]
Malagasy	trozona mpamond	[details]
Modern Greek (1453-)	Όρκα	[details]
Norwegian	van hundvaghundstourvagnstourvagastaurhvalstarhyn ningspekkhuggerspaekhoggerhvalhund	[details]
Norwegian Bokmål	spekkhogger	[details]
Norwegian Nynorsk	spekkhoggar	[details]
Polish	orka	[details]
Portuguese	roaz-de-bandeiraorcabaleia asesina	[details]
Russian	косаткаили кит убийцаkosatkakasatka	[details]
Scottish Gaelic	pictwale	[details]
Slovenian	orka	[details]
Spanish	orca verdaderaorca comúnorcamoscotemacheteespadartedelfin gigantecahuel-huaiquebufeo de mascarillaballena quilaballena pintaballena asesina	[details]
Swedish	tunnlik tumlaresvärdfiskspäckhuggarespackhuggareoparelöpare	[details]
Thai	plawan phechakhat	[details]
Turkish	katil balina	[details]
Ukrainian	Косатка	[details]
Welsh	orca gwrywlleiddiad	[details]
Yupik languages	mesungesak	[details]