Revised 12/15/2000 KILLER WHALE (Orcinus orca): Hawaiian Stock
Killer whales have been observed in all oceans and seas of the world (Leatherwood and Dahlheim 1978). Although reported from tropical and offshore waters (Heyning and Dahlheim 1988), killer whales prefer the colder waters of both hemispheres, with greatest abundances found within 800 km of major con...
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| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.294.5227 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/po2000whki-hi.pdf |
| Summary: | Killer whales have been observed in all oceans and seas of the world (Leatherwood and Dahlheim 1978). Although reported from tropical and offshore waters (Heyning and Dahlheim 1988), killer whales prefer the colder waters of both hemispheres, with greatest abundances found within 800 km of major continents (Mitchell 1975). They are rare in Hawaiian waters. No killer whales were seen during 1993-98 aerial surveys within about 25 nmi of the main Hawaiian Islands (Mobley et al. 2000; see Appendix 2 for detailed information on timing and location of effort), suggesting that they are uncommon in these nearshore regions. One stranding from the island of Hawaii was reported in 1950 (Richards 1952). Two sightings have been reported, one in January 1978 off the Waianae Coast of Oahu and |
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