Killer Whale Habitat and Distribution

Habitat of Killer Whales

The killer whale is the largest of this type of mammal, and they are found in the oceans all over the world. Other than human beings, they are the most widely distributed creature in the world. Many of them have been found living in freshwater rivers too rather than just in the saltwater of the oceans.

You will find them in the colder waters close to the Artic region. You will also find others enjoying the warmer waters in the tropical locations. Killer Whales have different habits that you will be interested in. Some of them live offshore while others have a permanent residence. Others are transient which means they move along and home is anywhere they like as long as they find food.

Killer Whales will live in deep waters if they are in need of food, but generally they end up closer to the coast. You will find large pods of them along the waters of both Canada and Alaska. Many people enjoy watching them along the coast of California as well.  Those that reside in the areas of cold water are limited in space due to the ice pack. They aren’t able to navigate very far with it. This is why so many of them will migrate to another location during the worst times of the year.

While it is known that Killer Whales do migrate, the exact patterns that they follow aren’t fully understood. Researchers do know that they will be found in both British Columbia and the state of Washington in the USA. However, it isn’t known where many of them go after that. Some tracking devices have found a few of them to be in freshwater rivers in the United States. Further tracking and research is planned though to help figure out where these Killer Whales spend the rest of their time residing.

The number of Killer Whales in the world is hard to estimate due to their movements. There is still so much we don’t know about their habitat and distribution. It is estimated that about 250 of them live in Alaska. Approximately 300 live in the Bering Sea. The remaining of about 180,000 are found along the Antarctic region.

Part of what has allowed them to survive for so long even at low numbers is that they easily adapt. Research indicates this is why they can be found living in regions all over the world. They have a more diverse location than any other type of mammal. Only humans seem to be more diversified in their habitat and distribution than the Killer Whales. However, as humans continue to move their natural habitat more towards the water, the area for these animals to live gets smaller.

Not everyone is happy about that though because they feel these are nasty predators. The Killer Whale has definitely gotten a bad reputation out there over the course of time. Some of the events that they are said to be a part of are true, but movies such as Jaws have given people a fear of them that isn’t justified. As a result, many people don’t like the fact that certain locations that they enjoy have Killer Whales around them.

There are plenty of boating expeditions you can take part in for Killer Whale observation. These boats are very careful to not disturb the natural environment of these whales. They will take you about 400 yards from the whales so you will get a very up close and personal look at them. You will notice that the boats used for such purposes are very quiet so that they don’t create stress for the Killer Whales due to the noise.