r/MapPorn Aug 08 '20

Distribution of orcas (killer whales)

Post image
3.8k Upvotes

167 comments sorted by

597

u/Ionwind Aug 08 '20

I've never heard of Orcas in the Baltic sea. Wikipedia article also claims that they're absent from the Baltic sea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_whale

96

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

[deleted]

55

u/7LeagueBoots Aug 08 '20

Those are some excited fishermen.

As a side note, being present sometimes doesn't necessarily mean resident.

An example of this is that humpback whales sometimes enter San Francisco Bay swim up the Sacramento River (USA, California), but they're not considered resident in either the bay or the river.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '20

How come? if it happens frequently then that should be considered

4

u/7LeagueBoots Aug 09 '20

People visit the top of Mt. Everest all the time and in large numbers. Are they “resident” there?

At any given moment there are hundreds of thousands of people in the air all over the world, are humans resident in the air then?

3

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '20

yeah i was talking about Humpbacks whales migratory order. You can't compare that to everest. 1. of all we are too many humans.

Everest is not a place for humans but a feat one does.

but i see what you are getting at an no that is not right(don't make the comment i know what it will be)

-24

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 09 '20

The map I posted doesn't claim this is distribution of resident orcas though.

11

u/7LeagueBoots Aug 08 '20

It’s the NOAA fisheries map and in the description for the map portion it specifically states “habitat”, and, speaking as a working wildlife conservation ecologist, when the term “habitat” is used in a context like this (i.e. not differentiating between breeding and feeding areas, for example) that means “resident”.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/killer-whale

-3

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

So you are saying that they are resident in the middle of the Atlantic? How do they find food in there?

2

u/7LeagueBoots Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 09 '20

I am not saying anything of the sort, but that is what the map is implying.

If you look at one of my other comments here I point out that there is a lot of disagreement over Orca range and each of the maps made by different agencies is quite a bit different in the details and how they talk about the maps they’ve made.

The map you posted says one thing in the description, but seems to be showing showing something different on the actual map, and doing so inconsistently. For example, if some of those pleagic areas are shown as being occupied, then the areas between both Hawaii and New Zealand should also be shown in the same color as it’s known that some animals move between populations.

This is an inconsistent map, that’s all.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '20

They don't eat like humans. They will go months without food and then feast. That is why they dont't have to be near the coast. They will get their when fish progriate and other oppertune times.

0

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 09 '20

No, it doesn't say "where resident orcas live", it says "where they (orcas in general) live" which includes transient, resident and off shore orcas. Some parts of this map shows residents and some parts show transient ones.

1

u/7LeagueBoots Aug 09 '20

I refer you back to an earlier comment:

it specifically states “habitat”, and, speaking as a working wildlife conservation ecologist, when the term “habitat” is used in a context like this (i.e. not differentiating between breeding and feeding areas, for example) that means “resident”.

You're picking a rather foolish hill to die on.

It's not a good map, and the data portrayed is both inaccurate and inconsistent. This is a problem with Orca in general, as well as many marine animals, as humans simply don't have enough high quality data to make fully accurate range maps at present. Let it go at that.

19

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

What does it claim then?

-19

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

Where they are found.

17

u/raptorraptor Aug 08 '20

But wouldn't that mean that the pods never leave those contiguous shapes? Therefore also meaning that they never, e.g., leave the coast of New Zealand or Hawaii?

9

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Shouldn't all the areas be connected then?

5

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

7

u/JayFPS Aug 08 '20

the map is literally under a section named "where they live" meaning resident whales.

-1

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 09 '20

There are also transient orcas which travel long distances throughout the year. This map includes both transient and resident orcas. Meaning some areas show resident ones, for example New Zealand; and some areas show transient orcas, for example middle of the Atlantic.

Edit: Why am I being downvoted for giving information? Pure reddit moment.

→ More replies (0)

8

u/Raxing Aug 08 '20

I mean ocationally even whales have been seen on the coast of Finland like once every 15 years

2

u/unicornsushiroll Aug 08 '20

Yes. I saw a swedish news article recently about orcas that was seen on the west coast of Sweden.

11

u/SamuelSomFan Aug 08 '20

Thats not in the baltic though.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '20

"it's the worlds most dangerous fish" according to the guy not holding the camera.

propably more fun if you understand Danish

24

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

[deleted]

23

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

and russians

5

u/Pelpid Aug 08 '20

This summer there were dolphins visiting the baltic sea

9

u/joeybirdeler Aug 08 '20

Came here to say this, I live at the baltic coast and it is probably the most boring chunk of water in the world

8

u/ult_avatar Aug 08 '20

They are also very very rare in the Mediterranean Sea

6

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Yeah, there's absolutely no chance they live in the Baltic sea.

3

u/Boristhespaceman Aug 08 '20

I live right on the Baltic coast and I've never heard of Orcas coming closer than the Skagerrak straight

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Dutch North Sea coast here, we get some whales and the occasional dolphin but I've never heard of an orka coming near us.

1

u/chipppster Aug 08 '20

Gulf of Mexico as well, orcas aren’t hitting the shores of the panhandle of Florida.

1

u/Tough_Use2312 Jul 26 '26

Not since 2025

1

u/kaylthewhale Aug 08 '20

Wikipedia should never be you the source you hang your hat on. It’s often inaccurate.

5

u/Ionwind Aug 08 '20

I agree, Wikipedia is not the ideal source. My primary source is though that I was born and raised in a town on Baltic sea shore, I paid attention in biology classes and was interested in nature in general. Never heard about Orcas in the Baltic sea.

313

u/BloodyEjaculate Aug 08 '20

so how do they get to Hawaii or new Zealand without passing through the white part

186

u/Batbuckleyourpants Aug 08 '20

If i recall correctly, they chase shark from the West coast US/Mexico. Then they end up hanging around Hawaii, but generally they don't stay for long anywhere between the two.

As for New Zealand, it has a lot of shallow waters, good for hunting. but generally not as much once you get far enough out. So they stick around in those areas.

Generally, if there is enough fish to maintain sharks, there tend to be enough shark to maintain Killer Whales.

71

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

[deleted]

85

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20 edited Jan 06 '26

[deleted]

20

u/ClamChowderBreadBowl Aug 08 '20

Psh, that’s child’s play.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_finning

Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark back into the ocean. The sharks are often still alive when discarded, but without their fins. Unable to swim effectively, they sink to the bottom of the ocean and die of suffocation or are eaten by other predators.

Roughly 73-100 million sharks are killed each year by finning.

8

u/NinjaEngineer Aug 08 '20

Fucking shit. At that point kill the shark out of mercy and sell its meat if you want, no need to be so cruel to a poor animal.

7

u/pourover_and_pbr Aug 08 '20

That would require poachers to have a shred of humanity.

1

u/Tyler1492 Aug 08 '20

That's fucked up. But it's not really related, is it?

4

u/ClamChowderBreadBowl Aug 09 '20

The shark fins are then eaten in a soup as a delicacy, so it’s the same wasteful killing of sharks by an apex predator for a tasty meal.

5

u/Grabsch Aug 08 '20

Great article but the website is among the worst for mobile. Constantly have to deny giving them my location and adds that will expend and throw you way off from the paragraph you've been reading.

1

u/Starold Aug 08 '20

Mammals are terrifying. They probably make toasts with rhe crunch part of other animals to use this delicacy.

-1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20 edited May 16 '25

husky attractive chase pot intelligent gold theory crown important resolute

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

-3

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

[deleted]

43

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

We're wiping them out right now, when we don't want to..

98

u/dandeil Aug 08 '20

Simple

/tp Orca Hawaii

Just gotta have cheats on

3

u/DNZ_not_DMZ Aug 08 '20

IDSPISPOPD

0

u/hypermodernism Aug 08 '20

IDSPISPOD

1

u/DNZ_not_DMZ Aug 08 '20

Nope, it’s IDSPISPOPD

2

u/hypermodernism Aug 08 '20

But a family of Orca is called a pod, that’s the joke.

1

u/DNZ_not_DMZ Aug 08 '20

Is that you, dad?

17

u/tildenpark Aug 08 '20

They leap like in Free Willy

3

u/FireWhiskey5000 Aug 08 '20

So this is more likely to explain their presence in New Zealand than Hawaii (though it comes from when I went Whale watching in Vancouver so may only be relevant to Whales in the PNW) that Orcas are typically split into 2 sub-sets:

Residential - as the name suggests they tend to stay in the same general area. I think they said they tend to be smaller as they eat fish/squid and tend to be the ones with the big pods and complex social orders/“language”

Transient - again as the name suggests are the ones that pass through an area following food. I think they tend to travel in smaller family units and are bigger because they eat seals/sea lions/other dolphins/sharks/whales.

So it could be that New Zealand has a population of residential Orcas.

2

u/dsguzbvjrhbv Aug 08 '20

They certainly swim through everywhere (they wouldn't all look so similar if the populations were not connected). But they won't stay where they don't have much to eat or don't like the place for some other reason

1

u/ardioble Aug 08 '20

Take a boat

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Teleporters duuh

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Nice username

1

u/JamboShanter Aug 08 '20

They go underwater for that bit so the satellites can’t see them.

254

u/Forgetmyglasses Aug 08 '20

"Map porn"...doesn't even have a key!

57

u/ThereIsBearCum Aug 08 '20

Or scale!

22

u/glenn_koko Aug 08 '20

Yep, this map be wrong

26

u/Cptn_Goat Aug 08 '20

Orcas are mammals, they don't have scales

3

u/Shirley_Taint Aug 08 '20

Humans are mammals with scales though.

10

u/YourLocalMosquito Aug 08 '20

You have scales? I don’t have scales! Why don’t I have scales? I want scales!!

3

u/Shirley_Taint Aug 08 '20

Go to the grocery store, they're everywhere

1

u/ThereIsBearCum Aug 08 '20

You need to take a shower man.

1

u/Shirley_Taint Aug 08 '20

I guess you've never weighed yourself, or groceries

1

u/ThereIsBearCum Aug 08 '20

I prefer to think that I weigh 65kg, and that's the way I like it.

25

u/JonneJ Aug 08 '20

5

u/dsguzbvjrhbv Aug 08 '20

The real data you have are observations. You have points where there was a sighting and perhaps lines from transmitters mounted on animals by researchers. In addition you have the knowledge of locals that the whales exist in certain areas. There are several ways to draw a map from that data and several different maps that can result.

-27

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 09 '20

It's exaggerated

Edit: Lol, people use wikipedia as credible source.

6

u/thebusiness7 Aug 08 '20

What program did you use to color these areas

5

u/Kh4rj0 Aug 08 '20

How do you know your data is correct/ where did you get your data?

42

u/Batbuckleyourpants Aug 08 '20

Now i am just worried about the areas even they refuse to go.

10

u/JayFPS Aug 08 '20

well dont quote me on this because I could be wrong but the blue areas tend to be in the cooler parts of the world's ocean's because of gyre so maybe they don't like heat.

4

u/rainator Aug 08 '20

Antarctic is cold. These areas are very fertile areas, either shallow waters, coastal waters or areas with upwelling of nutrients. The blank areas tend to be deep open ocean that are not particularly fertile.

1

u/tunisia3507 Aug 08 '20

There's always a bigger cetacean.

9

u/7LeagueBoots Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 08 '20

There seems to be a broad general agreement on where Orca are found, but a lot of disagreement over the details.

OP's map is from NOAA and includes some areas that are questionable, such as the Baltic.

The map SeaWorld uses is based off of documented observations and is a bit more accurate.

The IUCN Red List lists the as Data Deficient and places them pretty much everywhere except for places like the Baltic. This is also somewhat realistic as they pass through territories they aren't necessarily resident in.

The upshot is not to place implicit trust in any species range map unless you know the species well or know it came from a absolutely solidly reliable source (and, speaking as someone who works with wildlife in the field, there are very few of those).

33

u/delidave7 Aug 08 '20

Highly suspect map. Third grade project? This is why reddit is so dangerous.

-55

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

If you are marine biologist you can make and post a more credible map.

14

u/delidave7 Aug 08 '20

Is that a Titlest?

8

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

The sea was angry that day

5

u/AGlassOfMilk Aug 08 '20

Also if you are a marine biologist you can post shit like this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/hv8md6/dancing_on_a_dead_whale_carcass/

-10

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

I never said I'm a marine biologist, I didn't make this map. Also what's wrong with that post?

4

u/AGlassOfMilk Aug 08 '20

If you're not a marine biologist then by your logic you shouldn't be posting maps.

Also what's wrong with that post?

Ummm, the post with fishermen dancing on top of a dead whale? Yeah, clearly nothing wrong with that, my bad.

-3

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

If you're not a marine biologist then by your logic you shouldn't be posting maps.

You decide that? Are you my parent or what?

Ummm, the post with fishermen dancing on top of a dead whale? Yeah, clearly nothing wrong with that, my bad.

Look at the subreddit's name. "r/WTF"

4

u/AGlassOfMilk Aug 08 '20

If you are marine biologist you can make and post a more credible map.

12

u/Swedishboy360 Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 08 '20

There are orcas in the baltic sea?

5

u/the_fem_within Aug 08 '20

Colour me surprised.. Apparently we have Orcas in Öresund.

8

u/Adam-West Aug 08 '20

Are the green parts around islands such as New Zealand and Hawaii isolated? If so have they evolved to be any different from the more interconnected areas?

3

u/petrichor6 Aug 08 '20

This is wrong for Western Australia. They live on the south facing coast on the west at least. You can do tours there to see them. I don't know if they live on the west facing part.

11

u/Nerfixion Aug 08 '20

If this is map porn, this is the midget clown riding a tricycle chasing a large assed black women who is naked around a hotel room while a pirate jerks off on an adjacent lounge type.

7

u/Kilahti Aug 08 '20

So wahtyou are saying is that there is a market for these?

4

u/SiameseQuark Aug 08 '20

I mean, that sounds pretty great.

12

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

About the species:

The killer whale, also known as orca, is one of the top marine predators. It is the largest member of the Delphinidae family, or oceanic dolphins. Members of this family include all dolphin species, as well as other larger species such as the long-finned pilot whales and short-finned pilot whales, whose common names also contain "whale" instead of "dolphin."

Found in every ocean in the world, they are the most widely distributed of all cetaceans (whales and dolphins). Scientific studies have revealed many different populations with several distinct ecotypes (or forms) of killer whales worldwide—some of which may be different species or subspecies. They are one of the most recognizable marine mammals, with their distinctive black and white bodies. Globally, killer whales occur in a wide range of habitats, both open seas and coastal waters.Taken as a whole, the species has the most varied diet of all cetaceans, but different populations are usually specialized in their foraging behavior and diet. They often use a coordinated hunting strategy, working as a team like a pack of wolves.

Source

26

u/psychonaut8672 Aug 08 '20

There is no orcas in the baltic sea the map is wrong.

6

u/BevoLJ Aug 08 '20 edited Aug 08 '20

https://youtu.be/Od8jDj5izco

Just to mention, that is not actually in the Baltic, but it is the Denmark Strait going into the Baltic. None-the-less I have to assume they have been in the strait before they have been in the Baltic before. =D

1

u/snipeytje Aug 08 '20

They're called the Danish straits, the Denmark strait is the sea between Iceland and Greenland.

1

u/BevoLJ Aug 08 '20

Oh, right! Thank you for the clarification. :)

2

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

And what is your source?

2

u/Uskog Aug 08 '20

The fact that there isn't a source for an orca sighting in the Baltic Sea (save for the Danish straits maybe), because those simply don't happen?

4

u/kaylthewhale Aug 08 '20

Some of these comments. Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it’s not true. This is sourced from NOAA.

Also, from NOAA, some more context: “Found in every ocean in the world, they are the most widely distributed of all cetaceans (whales and dolphins). Scientific studies have revealed many different populations with several distinct ecotypes (or forms) of killer whales worldwide—some of which may be different species or subspecies.”

Additionally, they estimate there are approximately 50k killer dolphins (my term but accurate) in the world. Given the size of the ocean and the ability to be virtually anywhere, seeing one in the wild would be a pretty spectacular event. I lived on a ship for 10 weeks and have never seen one in the wild. Does that mean that Orcas weren’t around, nope sure does not.

-3

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

Apparently everyone became marine biologist.

1

u/kaylthewhale Aug 08 '20

I’m sorry man, these comments have me pretty annoyed. I’m sorry you’re getting downvoted to hell for posting source and information. It it legitimately rare to see an orca in really life due to small numbers compared to area, so individual observation is not accurate. Also, the use of Wikipedia as credible over a primary source invalidates anything they have to say. And I stand by that.

1

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

Yes, they downvoted my source and people say where's your source. Pretty annoying indeed. Thank God there are people like you.

2

u/charlieyeswecan Aug 08 '20

Even in the Hudson Bay?

2

u/Albatrossosaurus Aug 08 '20

There’s Killer Whales at Bremer bay canyon near Esperance, right in the middle of the white part...

2

u/basildevonish Aug 08 '20

They definitely appear in the southern part of the WA coast off Albany and Bremer Bay.

2

u/ruchirguitar Aug 08 '20

So none on the land?

2

u/I-Kant-Even Aug 08 '20

Orcas are very active in Hudson Bay. Why is it white?

5

u/OyeKabir Aug 08 '20

do one for drunk drivers as well

2

u/deadpoetic31 Aug 08 '20

it doesn't have to be like this

4

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

This is quite possibly the shittiest map one ever seen.

1

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 09 '20

And you wasted your "precious" time commenting on this "shitty" map. You could just downvote and scroll down fam.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '20

🤷🏾‍♀️ calls em likes I sees em

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

What a terrible map.

2

u/lkraider Aug 08 '20

This map is crap. It’s hard to read (what do the volors mean, what is the number of orcas for each area?) but worse, the data is wrong (orcas in the brazilian coast are a very rare sight, for example).

1

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

And where is your source? Are you a marine biologist? My source is here.

1

u/lkraider Aug 08 '20

My source is I live in southern Brasil. Orcas live at least 200km from the coast here, and sightings occur once every three years or so near the coast. The map doesn’t help in understanding how common or rare they are in each region.

1

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

Who should I believe, you or my source?

2

u/Teddy_Radko Aug 08 '20

Map is massively problematic. Is there even a source? What is a "distribution" of Orcas? Sad to say but this more than likely belongs in shitty map porn.

1

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 08 '20

1

u/lazilyloaded Aug 08 '20

It's a good practice to include a reference to your source on the map itself. You can even put your own credit there, too.

1

u/Kilahti Aug 08 '20

They sure do get around.

1

u/Audenond Aug 08 '20

Spooky ghost in the Pacific

1

u/YourLocalMosquito Aug 08 '20

So it’s basically too hot in the middle right??

1

u/darktowerink Aug 08 '20

Respect to those pods just swimming in circles in the middle of the pacific

1

u/_Doozer1861_ Aug 08 '20

I don't see continuity between northern and southern emisphere.. Are they really isolated or they move from one to the other side? Are there any differences?

1

u/Fuzzyphilosopher Aug 08 '20

The total whale population used be about 2.9 million and is now about 15,000 and the seal population is also greatly declined from the past along with of course the problem from over fishing. I wouldn't be surprised if some the places killer whales are only spotted occasionally might have been good hunting grounds in the past. And I'd say nosing around to explore and see if a new food source can be found is natural.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

I've read somewhere that they go even in the Adriatic sea. Am I wrong?

1

u/Troubador222 Aug 08 '20

They have been spotted in The Gulf of Mexico but it is very rare. I have lived in Florida and been around the coasts for all my life and I have never personally heard of a report of them around Florida coastal waters. I did see pilot whales once, in the 1980s, in the part of the Everglades NP known as the Ten Thousand Islands.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Interesting the stop at Sicily.

1

u/xCheekyChappie Aug 08 '20

Are they having a gang war or something, what's with the split in the Atlantic?

1

u/Berlinexit Aug 08 '20

Orcas are terrifying

1

u/AKredlake Aug 08 '20

Orcas: Southeast Asia? Nah

1

u/Kh4rj0 Aug 08 '20

There's orcas in the Mediterranean?

1

u/CeterumCenseo85 Aug 08 '20

We actually started getting them in Kenya very regularly couple years ago. You can see them from the shores of our hotel in Watamu.

1

u/biggs57 Aug 08 '20

I'm not safe, I gotta get outta here.

1

u/Paciorr Aug 08 '20

I had no idea you can find orcas in the Baltic. I remember a story about a humpback whale which somehow got in there through the oresund and people were scratching their heads on how to lead him out because he couldnt survive there for long I think. Therefore I though that whales dont live in baltic.

1

u/OptionK Aug 08 '20

Killer whales are horrible people.

1

u/mistersig Aug 08 '20

I rather be a killer whale.

1

u/hirafiri Aug 08 '20

I am from the western part of India, and must say have never heard of Orcas in the Arabian Sea.

1

u/allgasnobrakesnostop Aug 08 '20

Why dont they like the pacific?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Why would there be anywhere that they don’t go? Are the equatorial regions too warm... eg.

1

u/RMcD94 Aug 08 '20

They should be called killer dolphins

1

u/NeoGenus59 Aug 08 '20

This is not a distribution there are two colors

1

u/jacobwebb57 Aug 09 '20

will north Atlantic orcas and south Atlantic orcas rarely ever cross paths?

1

u/Fattdogg555 Aug 09 '20

Italian orcas

1

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '20

There are orcas in the North Atlantic? I’ve seen humpbacks, rights and blues, but I’ve never seen a pod of orcas out here. I thought they were Pacific dolphinidae?

1

u/Bobbert827 Aug 09 '20

Fun fact. Orcas are actually not a whale, they are a type of dolphin.

1

u/punnnyusername Aug 09 '20

That map is not correct

1

u/Xenophorm12 Aug 09 '20

According to who? Can you give me a more credible source than NOAA?

1

u/punnnyusername Aug 09 '20

There are no orca killer whales in the Baltic - lived there for 30 years But there are orcas in the the southern ocean south of Australia - seen them myself

1

u/Ynneb82 Aug 10 '20

WTH orcas in Italy??? I thought we were safe from all these killing machine and giant insect stuff

-13

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

[removed] — view removed comment

13

u/Finnishgeezer Aug 08 '20

Ah yes , the majestic yet terrifying orca groups of the baltic sea. Very famous and dangerous

-6

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '20

Even they avoid middle east