Orcinus orca

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Killer whale
French : Orque

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Cetartiodactyla
Family : Delphinidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adult males can reach up to 9.80 meters in length for a weight of 6.6 tons. Females are smaller. Unmistakable, very high dorsal fin, broad pectoral fins. Very large head. Coloration black with white areas on chin, cheeks and belly.

Range and habitat
This species, as it is, has the widest distribution of all cetaceans, covering mostly all seas and oceans except of the northernmost parts of Arctic Ocean. More abundant not far from shores and away from ice-packed waters.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : DATA DEFICIENT
CITES : Appendix II
Status : This species is probably a complex of several species and subspecies. Some of its populations are highly vulnerable to hunting and pollution.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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