Where Do Killer Whales Live?

Killer whales are one of the most powerful and successful predators on Earth. They have no natural predators themselves, able to take down the most feared creature in all the ocean, the great white shark, they have also been seen hunting the largest animal to ever live, the blue whale.

Intelligent and veracious hunters, killer whales have learned how to harness every morsel of food available to them with a pretty devastating effect for their unfortunate prey. The result is that orca harvest their meals from every ocean in the world, regularly travelling great distances to find their favourite food.

Killer whales are one of the most widely distributed animals on the planet. They have been observed in almost all waters, including cut-off regions like the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Wherever you look out to sea, there is a chance - although often very slim - that a killer whale could appear within your vision.

Killer whale range map:

Credit: Wikipedia

Where do Most Orca Live?

There are an estimated 50,000 killer whales in the wild. While that may sound like a lot, when you consider that their range is as extensive as humans, yet there are about 160,000 times more people than orca, you can start to understand how spread out their numbers are.

With that in mind, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s nearly impossible to see a wild killer whale, but actually they’re very easy to see. If you’re interested in seeing wild orca, we’ve put together a wild guide on the best places to see killer whales.

But why are some places better for killer whale sightings than others?

Killer whales, the largest species of dolphin, are energetic, warm-blooded predators. They live in families called pods, which means there are often more than a few mouths to feed. Killer whales need a lot of food to survive, which is why you’ll rarely spot them in locations that aren’t rich in prey. And even then, you may know of waters with lots of fish to eat, but killer whales still aren’t present.

Killer whales are very, very picky eaters. Evolving over millions of years, they’ve developed a taste for certain foods. Some killer whales will only eat fish, while others eat large prey like sea lions and whales. What does this mean for killer whale population distributions? It means they go where the food is.

For example, the Fjords of Norway are known for their herring stocks. Herring is a firm favourite of fish-eating orca. This means that around 3,000 killer whales are found around this relatively small section of coastline. You’ll also find thousands of orca off the western coast of North America feeding along the shores of Canada, the US and Mexico. Some of these killer whales follow migratory paths, others stay in the same areas year-round.

A huge percentage of the killer whale population can be found in just a few areas of the ocean. They’ve made a habit of feeding in cold, nutrient-rich shallow waters where there is prey in abundance.

Learn more about orca with our killer whales fact guide.