Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Infraphylum Gnathostomata > Megaclass Tetrapoda > Class Mammalia > Subclass Theria > Order Cetartiodactyla > Suborder Cetancodonta > Infraorder Cetacea > Superfamily Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Orcinus

Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Original genus

Delphinus Linnaeus, 1758

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Orcinus*	Fitzinger, 1860	accepted genus name

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Afrikaans: moordvis

Aleut: aguluk; dukulad

Anus, Korur: nookur

Basque: ezpalarta; marzupla; orka

Bulgarian: kosаtkа; Косатка sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Catalan: orca

Chukot: musonkjgyssiak

Czech: kosatka dravá

Danish: ornswin; spaekhogger; spækhugger; svaerdval; svarthval; tandthoye sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Dutch: botskop; orca; orka; zwaardwalvis sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

English: grampus; killer whale; killer-trasher; orca; sword grampus; swordfish sources: North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

Faroese: bovhidehval

French: dorque; epaulard; epée de mer; orque; orque épaulard; orque gladiateur

German: großer Schwertwal; Orca; Schwertwal sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Greek: Όρκα sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Icelandic: fann-fiskar-hydengen; haa-hirningur; hahyrna; hahyrningur; huyding; sverdfiscur

Indonesian: paus pemangsa; seguni

Inuktitut: adluk

Italian: orca sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Japanese: sadshi; sakamata; shachi; taka; takamatsu; シャチ sources: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. (2009 onwards). Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL). Accessed on 2018-11-21.

Kalaallisut: ardlursark; ardlyk

Korean: beom-gorae; innuatu

Lithuanian: orka sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Malagasy: trozona mpamond

Norwegian: hvalhund; spaekhogger; spekkhugger; starhyn ning; staurhval; stourvaga; stourvagn; vaghund; van hund

Norwegian Bokmål: spekkhogger sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Nynorsk: spekkhoggar sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Polish: orka sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Portuguese: baleia asesina; orca; roaz-de-bandeira

Russian: kasatka; kosatka; или кит убийца; косатка sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Scottish Gaelic: pictwale

Slovenian: orka sources: Davorin Tome

Spanish, Castillian: ballena asesina; ballena pinta; ballena quila; bufeo de mascarilla; cahuel-huaique; delfin gigante; espadarte; machete; moscote; orca; orca común; orca verdadera sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Swedish: löpare; opare; spackhuggare; späckhuggare; svärdfisk; tunnlik tumlare sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Thai: plawan phechakhat

Turkish: katil balina sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Ukrainian: Косатка sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Welsh: lleiddiad; orca gwryw sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Yupik languages: mesungesak

Literature

basis of record	van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 375-376
additional source	Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
additional source	IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
additional source	Carwardine, M., E. Hoyt, R. E. Fordyce and P. Gill. 1998. Whales, dolphins and porpoises. Time-Life Books. Nature Company Guides, USA. 288 p.
additional source	Schmidly, D. J. and B. Würsig. 2009. Mammals (Vertebrata: Mammalia) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1343–1352 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
additional source	Rice, D. W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication. 4.
additional source	Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam.
additional source	Perrin, W.F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J.G.M. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Second edition. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9. xxix, 1316 pp.
additional source	Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. In Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. 723--743.
additional source	Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.
additional source	Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
additional source	Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of Living Whales. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. (246): 1-259.
additional source	King, C.M.; Roberts, C.D.; Bell, B.D.; Fordyce, R.E.; Nicoll, R.S.; Worthy, T.H.; Paulin, C.D.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Keyes, I.W.; Baker, A.N.; Stewart, A.L.; Hiller, N.; McDowall, R.M.; Holdaway, R.N.; McPhee, R.P.; Schwarzhans, W.W.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Rust, S.; Macadie, I. (2009). Phylum Chordata: lancelets, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. pp. 431-554.
additional source	Heyning, J. E. and M. E. Dahlheim. (1988). Orcinus orca. Mammalian Species 304:1--9.
ecology source	Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1).

Genbank

External Links

Marine Life Information Network - UK

Citation

Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758). Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137102