Antarctic Killer Whale Ecology

The killer whale (Orcinus orca) is the top ocean predator and perhaps the most extensive vertebrate on earth, occurring in all the oceans of the world. Although currently considered a species worldwide, our research in Antarctic waters has revealed that there are at least four different forms of killer whales, called types A, B, C and D. Little is known about the earlier Type D Links is a link to a non-Federal government website. Click to review NOAA Fishing disclaimer. which are rarely seen in inaccessible subantarctic waters, but other forms seem to represent a distinct "ecotype" that occurs simultaneously in Antarctica, with different prey specialties in minke whales, ice seals and fish. Our last genetic work shows that this may represent at least three different species.