Record/Orcas of the Pacific Coast/Offshore Orcas
01 — Orcas of the Pacific Coast
Offshore OrcasOffshore Orcas
The least understood of the three North Pacific ecotypes, living far out on the continental shelf.
Record
As of 1 July 2026- Individuals
- ~300 est.
- Trend 2016–26
- Unknown
- Listing
- Data deficient
- Primary prey
- Sharks (inferred)
- First described
- 1988
Assessment
Offshore orcas were not recognised as a distinct population until 1988. They range widely along the continental shelf, usually far from land, and are seen in large groups of thirty to a hundred animals.
They appear to eat sharks. Teeth recovered from stranded offshore orcas are worn almost flat, which is consistent with a diet of rough-skinned prey like sleeper sharks. Very few researchers have ever watched them feed.
Because encounters are rare and far offshore, almost everything about them — population size, calving intervals, social structure — is estimated rather than measured. They are a reminder of how much of this coastline is still genuinely unstudied.
Key points
6 observations- 01Recognised as distinct only in 1988
- 02Travel in groups of 30 to 100
- 03Teeth worn flat, consistent with shark prey
- 04Range far out on the continental shelf
- 05Rarely encountered by researchers
- 06Population size still uncertain