Killer Whale
Killer WhaleKiller WhaleKiller WhaleKiller Whale

Killer Whale

Orcinus orca

5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Galápagos Islands
36 Verified records at Galápagos Islands
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus Orcinus, it is recognizable by its distinct pigmentation; being mostly black on top, white on the bottom and having recognizable white eye patches. A cosmopolitan species, it inhabits a wide range of marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas, but is more commonly documented in temperate or cooler coastal waters. Scientists have proposed dividing the global population into races, subspecies, or possibly even species. Orcas are apex predators with a diverse diet. Individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey, including bony fish, sharks, rays, and marine mammals such as seals, dolphins, and whales. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Killer Whale sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 36 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Galápagos Islands

Bottlenose Dolphin
LC

Bottlenose Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Tursiops truncatus

10–20% · With luck
Common Dolphin
LC

Common Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Delphinus delphis

5–10% · Rare
Short-finned Pilot Whale
LC

Short-finned Pilot Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Globicephala macrorhynchus

<5% · Rare
False Killer Whale
NT

False Killer Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Pseudorca crassidens

Insufficient data
Striped Dolphin
LC

Striped Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Stenella coeruleoalba

Insufficient data
Risso's Dolphin
LC

Risso's Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Grampus griseus

Insufficient data
Melon-headed Whale
LC

Melon-headed Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Peponocephala electra

Insufficient data
Humpback Whale
LC

Humpback Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Megaptera novaeangliae

5–10% · With luck
Eden's Whale
LC

Eden's Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Balaenoptera edeni

<5% · Rare
Blue Whale
EN

Blue Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Balaenoptera musculus

<5% · Rare
Sperm Whale
VU

Sperm Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Physeter macrocephalus

<5% · Rare
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
LC

Cuvier's Beaked Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Ziphius cavirostris

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
5–10
Feb
5–10
Mar
5–10
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
5–10
Jul
<5
Aug
5–10
Sep
<5
Oct
10–20
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
70–80%
2 Península Valdés 🇦🇷 Argentina
60–70%
3 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
4 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
5 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
6 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
7 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
8 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
9 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
5–10%
10 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
5–10%
11 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
12 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
13 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
14 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
15 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
16 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
17 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
18 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
19 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
20 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Killer Whale in Galápagos Islands?

About 7% of wildlife watchers report a Killer Whale sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 36 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Killer Whale in Galápagos Islands?

November has the highest sighting rate for Killer Whale in Galápagos Islands in our monthly data.

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