Definition
The reproduction, growth, and survival patterns of killer whales (Orcinus orca)
Introduction
The killer whale (Orcinus orca), or orca, is the largest species in the dolphin family and is commonly recognized as one of the top predators in our oceans. Killer whales are abundant in high latitude coastal waters; however, they reside in all oceans around the world (Forney and Wade 2006). Because of their wide distribution, they are still considered “data deficient” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUNC; Reeves et al. 2017). Luckily, several populations of killer whales have been studied extensively for several decades to gain important information on their life history.
Killer whales are considered one species, but there has been some debate whether populations should be classified into subspecies, due to differences in diet, genetics, morphological traits, coloration, and movement patterns (Forney and Wade 2006). Groups of killer...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Baird, R. (2000). The killer whale: Foraging specializations and group hunting. In J. Mann, R. Conner, P. Tyack, & H. Whitehead (Eds.), Cetacean societies: Field studies of dolphins and whales (pp. 127–153). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Brent, L. J. N., Franks, D. W., Foster, E. A., Balcomb, K. C., Cant, M. A., & Croft, D. P. (2015). Ecological knowledge, leadership, and the evolution of menopause in killer whales. Current Biology, 25, 746–750.
Chivers, S. J. (2018). Cetacean life history. In B. Wursig, J. G. M. Thewissen, & K. M. Kovacs (Eds.), Encyclopedia of marine mammals (3rd ed., pp. 186–189). Cambridge: Elsevier.
Duffield, D. A., Odell, D. K., McBain, J. F., & Andrews, B. (1995). Killer whale (Orcinus orca) reproduction at sea world. Zoo Biology, 14, 417–430.
Fearnbach, H., Durban, J. W., Ellifrit, D. K., & Balcomb, K. C., III. (2011). Size and long-term growth trends of endangered fish-eating killer whales. Endangered Species Research, 13, 173–180.
Forney, K. A., & Wade, P. R. (2006). Worldwide distribution and abundance of killer whales. In J. A. Estes, D. P. Demaster, D. F. Doak, T. M. Williams, & R. L. Brownell Jr. (Eds.), Whales, whaling, and ocean ecosystems (pp. 145–162). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Matkin, C. O., Ward Testa, J., & Ellis, G. M. (2014). Life history and population dynamics of southern Alaska resident killer whales (Orcinus orca). Marine Mammal Science, 30, 460–479.
Olesiuk, P. F., Ellis, G. M., & Ford, J. K. B. (2005). Life history and population dynamics of resident killer whales Orcinus orca in the coastal waters of British Colombia. Research document 2005/045. Nanaimo: Fisharies and Oceans Canada.
Reeves, R., Pitman, R. L., & Ford, J. K. B. (2017). Orcinus orca. The IUCN red list of threatened species 2017:e.T15421A50368125. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T15421A50368125.en. Downloaded on 14 Jan 2019.
Robeck, T. R., Willis, K., Scarpuzzi, M. R., & O’Brien, J. K. (2015). Comparisons of life-history parameters between free-ranging and captive killer whale (Orcinus orca) populations for application toward species management. Journal of Mammology, 96, 1055–1070.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Macgregor, R.P. (2021). Killer Whale Life History. In: Shackelford, T.K., Weekes-Shackelford, V.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_2345
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_2345
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-19649-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-19650-3
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences