Evidence found
12,972 records across 41 countries and territories, 1783–2026.
Orcinus orca · GBIF taxon key 2440483
Where has the orca been recorded?
Orcinus orca occurrence evidence comes from 12,972 records in 41 countries and territories, from 1783 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 12,972 records
- 41 places
- 102 years recorded
- Mammalia class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-21. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: July.
12 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: July. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
17832026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where orca has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for orca. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 7,304 | |
| Antarctica | 2,103 | |
| Canada | 972 | |
| Norway | 535 | |
| Iceland | 498 | |
| Mexico | 417 | |
| Australia | 141 | |
| Sweden | 137 | |
| South Georgia | 117 | |
| Portugal | 92 | |
| United Kingdom | 85 | |
| Argentina | 75 | |
| Falkland Islands | 55 | |
| Greenland | 43 | |
| Netherlands | 38 | |
| Russia | 32 | |
| Chile | 30 | |
| Japan | 29 | |
| New Zealand | 28 | |
| Ecuador | 18 | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 18 | |
| Spain | 14 | |
| Costa Rica | 12 | |
| Morocco | 11 | |
| French Southern Territories | 7 | |
| Taiwan | 7 | |
| South Africa | 7 | |
| Brazil | 6 | |
| Belgium | 5 | |
| Faroe Islands | 5 | |
| Cabo Verde | 3 | |
| Bahamas | 1 | |
| French Guiana | 1 | |
| Guam | 1 | |
| Indonesia | 1 | |
| Ireland | 1 | |
| Italy | 1 | |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | |
| French Polynesia | 1 | |
| Philippines | 1 |
Showing the top 40 of 41 places.
Related animals
Others in the family Delphinidae.
common bottlenose dolphin
18,058 records
pantropical spotted dolphin
2,528 records
Spinner Dolphin
1,761 records
long-finned pilot whale
1,363 records
Striped Dolphin
813 records
Commerson's dolphin
126 records
Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin
117 records
Hourglass Dolphin
43 records
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.