Figure 7. Photographs of neotype skulls for (a) Orcinus rectipinnus (USNM 594671) and (b) Orcinus ater (USNM 594672).
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Originally posted March 27, 2024
Press:
The Royal Society, December 18, 2024: Celebrating the most popular papers from 2024
Hakai magazine - March 26, 2024: Meet the Killer Whales You Thought You Knew
Salish Sea Curents magazine - March 27, 2024: Under a new proposal, our local orcas — resident and Bigg’s killer whales — would each become a new species
The Seattle Times - March 27, 2024: These Puget Sound orcas could be designated as distinct species
Scientific American - March 27, 2024: Orca Groups with Radically Different Cultures Are Actually Separate Species
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Abstract
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are currently recognized as a single ecologically and morphologically diverse, globally distributed species. Multiple morphotypes or ecotypes have been described, often associated with feeding specialization, and several studies have suggested taxonomic revision to include multiple subspecies or species in the genus. We review the ecological, morphological and genetic data for the well-studied ‘resident’ and Bigg’s (aka ‘transient’) ecotypes in the eastern North Pacific and use quantitative taxonomic guidelines and standards to determine whether the taxonomic status of these killer whale ecotypes should be revised. Our review and new analyses indicate that species-level status is justified in both cases, and we conclude that eastern North Pacific Bigg’s killer whales should be recognized as Orcinus rectipinnus (Cope in Scammon, 1869) and resident killer whales should be recognized as Orcinus ater (Cope in Scammon, 1869).