Vocal traditions among resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in coastal waters of British Columbia

Underwater recordings of resident killer whale pods off British Columbia were collected over many years and their discrete calls catalogued. Call repertoires were compared between pods and between the maternal groups within them.

Studied in

Orcinus orca

Sample size

16 resident pods recorded over roughly 15 years

Each pod used a stable, distinctive set of discrete calls. Pods sharing recent maternal ancestry shared more calls, and repertoires persisted across decades with little change.

• One well-studied population; transient and offshore killer whales differ substantially.
• Call function is largely unknown, so a shared repertoire cannot be read as shared meaning.
• Recording effort varied between pods across the study period.

• Orca

  Every killer whale pod has its own set of calls, passed down the mother’s line

• Orca

  Killer whale groups hunt in completely different ways, and the differences are taught

• Orca

  Killer whale calls change slowly over decades — and change together within a family

• Orca

  Each resident orca pod uses its own set of calls, passed down the maternal line and stable for decades.

• Orca

  Different orca populations hunt different prey in different learned ways, and the differences are not explained by what is available to eat.