Killer whale©M.Dewynter/CARIMAM

Killer whale (Orcinus orca)©J.Luksenburg

- TAXONOMY
Class : Mammalia
Order : Cetartiodactyla
Infraorder : Cetacea
Parvorder : Odontoceti
Family: Delphinidae
Common names:
English: Killer whale, orca
Spanish: Orca
French: Orque

- MORPHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
Morphology: the largest delphinid. Massive body with large and rounded head without beak. Sexual dimorphism, with a straight, and very tall dorsal fin on males (to 2 m), and shorter and falcate on females.
Color and patterns: contrasting colors, with a body mostly black, except white patches above the eyes and under the belly.
Body length: 6-9.5 m for males and 5-7 m for females.
Group size: usually few units to a few dozens of individuals.
Specific behavior: live in social groups called pods (groups of maternally related individuals seen together more than half the time). May show aerial displays, such as breaching (jumping out of the water) or slapping the surface with their pectoral fins.
Feeding: highly variable diet, depending on the habitat and the population. Some consume only large fish, other only marine mammals and others both.

- DISTRIBUTION
Global distribution: Killer whale is among the most widely distributed cetacean species. It inhabits all of the world’s oceans, from the equator to the edge of the ice pack and is also reported in most seas.
Sightings in the Wider Caribbean region: The killer whale can be observed throughout the Wider Caribbean, although sightings are rare. It is distributed mainly over the deep waters of the continental slopes and island slopes, between the 500- and 3 000-meter depth isobaths. In the Gulf of Mexico, it seems to be seasonal, as most sightings occur in summer.

- CONSERVATION
Threats recorded in the Wider Caribbean region: whaling.
IUCN status: DD (Data Deficient)
SPAW status: The Killer whale is classified in Annex II of the SPAW Protocol since 1991.

Sources :
International Whaling Commission
IUCN (2021) The IUCN redlist of threatened species.
IUCN and Zoological Society of London (2012) National Red Lists
Jefferson T.A., Webber M.A., Pitman R.L. (2015) Marine mammals of the world : a comprehensive guide to their identification. Academic Press.
Kaschner, K., Reeves, R. (2011) LifeWeb species distribution factsheets.
NOOA (2021) Species fact sheets - Marine mammals.
Ocean Science & Logistic (2020) Guide des cétacés de Guyane française. OSL, canopée des Science, Cayenne, Guyane française.
Savouré-Soubelet A., Aulagnier S., Haffner P., et al. (coord.) (2016) Atlas des mammifères sauvages de France volume 1 : Mammifères marins. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris ; IRD, Marseille.
Society for marine mammalogy-Species fact sheets
SPAW-RAC. (2020). Implementation of the Action Plan for Marine Mammals in the Wider Caribbean Region: A Scientific and Technical Analysis. Authored by Vail, C. and Borobia, M. UNEP, SPAW-RAC.
Ward, N., Bogomolni, A., Potter, C. (2013) A stranding guide to marine mammals of the Wider Caribbean region : An introduction field for stranding responders. Gecko Production Inc. ISBN : 978-1-891694-00-4.