Mammalia - Cetacea - Delphinidae

Alternative combinations: Delphinus orca, Phocaena orca

Synonyms: Delphinus duhameli Lacepede 1804, Delphinus gladiator Bonnaterre 1789, Orca (Gladiator) capensis Gray 1846, Orca (Gladiator) latirostris Gray 1870, Orca (Gladiator) magellanica Burmeister 1866, Orca (Gladiator) stenorhyncha Gray 1870, Orca (Ophysia) capensis Gray 1846, Orca (Ophysia) pacifica Gray 1870, Orca ater Scammon and Cope 1869, Orca capensis Gray 1846, Orca gladiator Bonnaterre 1789, Orca magellanica Burmeister 1866, Orca rectipinna Scammon and Cope 1869, Orcinus glacialis Berzin and Vladimirov 1983, Orcinus nanus Mikhalev and Ivashin 1981, Orcinus orca capensis Gray 1846, Orcinus orca magellanica Burmeister 1866, Orcinus rectipinna Scammon and Cope 1869

Full reference: C. Linnaeus. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae (Stockholm) 1-823

Belongs to Orcinus according to O. Thomas 1911

Sister taxa: Orcinus citoniensis, Orcinus meyeri, Orcinus paleorca

Subtaxa: Orcinus orca eschrichti, Orcinus orca pacifica

View classification

Type specimens:

• Orcinus orca: 1
• Delphinus duhameli:
• Delphinus gladiator:
• Orca (Gladiator) latirostris: BM 361a, a skull.
• Orca (Gladiator) stenorhyncha: BM 361b-46.8.73 and 361c.
• Orca (Ophysia) pacifica:
• Orca ater:
• Orca capensis:
• Orca gladiator:
• Orca magellanica:
• Orca rectipinna:
• Orcinus glacialis:
• Orcinus nanus:

Average measurements (in mm): humerus length 219.0, scapula length 339.0, skull 875.0 x 530.0

Estimated body mass: 4.05 tons based on humerus length