A New Species of Orca is Changing Marine Biology

49 unstoppable killer whales are reshaping marine biology. Their aggressive encounters suggest a previously unseen level of maritime dominance. At first, I thought this headline was a little clickbait-y but it turns out it's for real.

And we're not talking about the Gladis orcas who are sinking yachts off of the Iberian Peninsula. (background boat noise incl. beeping) (person in clip: "Oh my god") (background noise) (background music) (orca spouting noise) We're talking about an entirely new and previously unknown population of killer whales in the offshore waters of California and Oregon.

This is one of two studies that were published this week, and both have the potential to change everything we know about killer whales, and more importantly, what we can do to protect them. Let me explain. I'm KP - a marine biologist who specializes in marine mammals.

(background music) Before we dive in I need to drop a content warning. We'll be discussing foraging behavior. While I do keep the graphic content to a minimum there will be a few clips of killer whales preying on other animals.

If that's not for you, I totally understand - just head down to the timeline and skip ahead to the chapter titled 'New Species of Orca'. (background music) Other than humans, killer whales are the most widespread mammals on Earth. There are an estimated 50,000 orcas found in every ocean of the world.

(background music) But they're not all the same. (background music) While the 50,000 orcas are currently classified as the same species, 'Orcinus Orca', they are all distinct variations known as ecotypes. Each ecotype has a unique physiology, appearance, and hunting behavior.

For example, there are two recognized ecotypes in the North Atlantic. Type 2 orcas are very large with a sloping eye patch and they prey on small baleen whales like minke whales. Type 1 orcas are much smaller than Type 2s - they primarily feed on herring, mackerel, and tuna that they cooperatively herd into dense schools.

But within these ecotypes are distinct breeding populations. One of these Type 1 populations is the Gladis orcas. (background music) (background wind noise) Another Type 1 population lives off of the coast of Norway and has learned how to steal mackerel out of fishing nets.

These two populations live thousands of miles away from each other. (background music) They do not interact at all and have their own language, (background music) (orca vocalizations) social structure, (background music) food preference, hunting behavior - essentially their own culture, for a lack of a better word. (background music) Here in the Pacific Northwest we have the Resident, Bigg's, and Offshore ecotypes.

Bigg's, also known as transient orcas, (background music) (background water splashing noise) prey on other marine mammals like seals and sea lions. They live in small pods, usually around five individuals - and most of these pods are extremely migratory. Resident orcas are similar to the North Atlantic Type 1 orcas.

(background music) They're smaller, live in larger pods, and are relatively docile salmon eaters. (background music) The offshore orcas, as their name suggests, live offshore - near the continental shelf. In massive pods that can number in the hundreds.

(background music) They almost exclusively eat shark livers. (background music) Now researchers have potentially discovered a fourth ecotype that lives even further out into the open ocean. (background music) Hundreds of miles beyond even the continental shelf.

A clue to the new population's presumed habitat lies in the Cookie Cutter Shark bites that are seen on almost all of the orcas in this pod. These parasitic sharks live in deep waters far offshore. This remoteness makes gathering information on this population quite the challenge.

The open ocean is the largest habitat on our planet. And observations of killer whales in the high seas are rare. But according to researchers, they're actually getting help from some local fishermen who are taking cameras in order to get video of these specific orcas and their encounters with them.

(background music) The 49 killer whales could not be matched with any known animals through photos or descriptions. (background music) (camera sound effects) "Morphologically, the individuals encountered shared physical similarities with both transient and offshore ecotypes, but were not a perfect fit for either. " (background music) But it's this population's aggressive hunting behavior that has shocked researchers.

(background music) In one of the first encounters researchers had with a pod of these oceanic killer whales, they were observed taking on a herd of nine female sperm whales. (background music) Nine. (background music) Nine.

(background music) Nine. Eventually making off with one. (background music) This is wild.

Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator on the planet currently. And this is the first time killer whales have been reported to attack sperm whales on the west coast. Other encounters included an attack on pygmy sperm whales, and northern elephant seals.

Next steps for the researchers is to actually collect DNA samples from these orcas to figure out exactly how far removed they are from other ecotypes. (background music) (person in clip: "We got the first ever sample from Type D killer whales! ") (background noise) (person in clip: "May be the answer to our questions right here") That's where the second study that I mentioned comes into play.

While it might not be as dramatic as a new population of hyper-aggressive killer whales taking on sperm whales and elephant seals, (background music) it might be even more important. Earlier I talked about the differences between Bigg's and Resident killer whales. These two types of orca behave differently, eat differently, and they don't even socialize between groups, even if they are in close proximity to one another.

They also have several morphological differences. (background music) Bigg's are generally longer and more robust; the shape of their fins is different and so is the coloration of their saddle patches. Even their skull structure is different.

Now, genetic data from a study published just this week confirms that the groups are not just unique populations, ecotypes, or even subspecies. But entirely different species. Genetic analysis found no evidence of interbreeding between the Bigg's and Residents and that they likely diverged between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago.

The Society for Marine Mammology is reviewing the proposed names for these newly classified species. 'Orcinus Ater' for the Resident orcas, and 'Orcinus Rectipinnus' for Bigg's. (background music) (clip background noise) Is it 'ah-ter' or 'ay-ter'?

Ah-ter? Ay-ter? Orcinus Ay-ter?

Orcinus Ah-ter? Tomayter, toma- (breaks into laughter) (background music) (clapperboard sound effect) This study also lays the groundwork for re-classifying the other ecotypes of killer whales, including the Gladis orca in Iberia and this aggressive new population that hunts sperm whales. (background music) Now why is this a big deal?

Why does any of this matter at all? According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, "knowing that Residents and Biggs are unique species is incredibly important from a conservation standpoint. It's challenging to create effective conservation policies for a globally distributed species like the killer whale because animals in different regions of the world are all facing different threats.

" (background music) Think of these different orcas like my different shirts. Maybe you noticed that I've worn several white shirts in the making of this video. While they all look similar, they're all different styles, brands, and even made out of different fabrics.

(background music) Which means they all need different care. If I treated them all the same, some would do fine but others would wear out pretty quickly. The same is true for these different types of orcas.

(background music) For the Southern Residents, the greatest threat is the lack of food. Specifically, Chinook salmon from the Colombia and Snake River systems. This salmon makes up 80% of their diet.

(background music) A new study that came out literally as we were filming this video and had to re-film this whole portion of it, has shown that the Southern Resident killer whales are hurtling at breakneck speed towards extinction. It is expected that within one or two generations, they will be gone from the planet forever. Research clearly shows that the survival and reproductive success of these whales is correlated with Chinook salmon abundance.

Increasing salmon abundance is an integral component of the species recovery plan. (background music) So how do we increase the population of Chinook salmon? (background music) (glitch sound effect) By removing these four dams along the Snake River.

These dams effectively prevent the salmon from returning to their breeding grounds and are the primary reason the Snake River salmon has declined. Breaching these four dams is something that environmental groups and tribal nations have spent decades fighting for. (background music) Thankfully, it's a fight they're winning.

The Biden Administration recently announced the support for preparing to breach the four lower Snake River dams through an agreement with the states of Oregon and Washington, several conservation groups, and most importantly, these four tribal nations. I've shared links in the descriptions, pinned comment, and right up here for how you can support the initiative to breach these dams. The positive impact in destroying these four dams would have on the Southern Resident killer whales is monumental.

(background music) It could quite literally save this species from extinction. Hopefully, reclassifying these Southern residents as a unique and critically endangered species, rather than a small population of a global species that has a data-deficient conservation status will speed up efforts to remove these dams (background music) and lead to more specific effective conservation policies.