Russian Residents

Photo Credit: Far East Russian Orca Project

AV047 Cromlech
Photo Credit: Far East Russian Orca Project

Russian Residents

The Russian Resident Killer Whales are a lesser known population of killer whales that has been studied by Far East Russian Orca Project since 2000. With fairly little known about their ages and family structure, except when new births occur during the study period, most of the adult individuals have unknown birth years, instead being listed by being "at least more than x years old" in my database. Matrilines are also instead called Families, as they aren't separate enough to be considered separate pods, but family connections aren't known enough to confirm matrilineal status (in most cases, no lead female or connection can be drawn between individuals of separate families).

Photo Credit: Far East Russian Orca Project

Species: Orcinus orca ater

Population Numbers: Russian Residents travel in matrilineal groups consisting of mothers, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, and cousins that range from as few as 3 whales to as many as 40 to 50 whales. This population can be split into three different acoustic clans, Avacha Clan, which is the largest and most observed of the three clans, and consists of 13 pods and ~300 individuals, K19 Clan which consists of 2 pods and ~50 individuals, and K20 Clan which consists of 3 pods and ~40 individuals. Currently, it is hard to pinpoint which pods belong in which clans

In 2020, four new calves were identified- AV020c, AV099c, AV113a, and AV191a!

Population Status: Unknown

Study Years: 1999-present

Diet: Salmon (Coho, Chum, and Pink), Atka Mackerel, Cod, Greenling

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