Killer whale (Orcinus orca) occurrence at Isla de Lobos, Uruguay

Abstract

The killer whale, Orcinus orca, is a cosmopolitan cetacean but it occurs in higher densities in coastal waters and high latitudes (Jefferson et al., 1993). In the western South Atlantic they frequent the coast between Paraíba state, Brazil (Lodi and Hetzel, 1998) and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (Iñíguez, 2001). Research on killer whales has been undertaken in both countries but despite that, there is considerable uncertainty regarding distribution, abundance and movements of this species in the western South Atlantic.