By Priscilla Rivas

Orcas are some of the most recognizable marine creatures, and people who live in the Puget Sound region are often lucky enough to catch glimpses of them in the wild. Orcas are such an important part of Pacific Northwest culture that Governor Inslee has made a commitment to fund recovery efforts for the Southern Resident population. Southern Resident orcas are just one of the many different ecotypes of killer whales. The main categories of ecotypes are Resident, Transient, and Offshore. Orca ecotypes are genetically distinct groups that have not been observed to interbreed, and rarely interact.  One group of orcas, known as “type D,” is the most distinct looking and the most elusive of the groups.

Type D orcas, also known as subantarctic orcas, were first discovered in the 1950s in a mass stranding in New Zealand. Although they were initially thought to be a small, genetically mutated group, researchers later believed them to be a new ecotype. Recently and for the first time, scientists on a research trip off the coast of Chile finally spotted and studied type D orcas in the wild. Researchers will have to wait for the results of a DNA analysis to determine whether type D orcas are in fact a genetically distinct population, but the sighting alone is exciting for the scientific community.

The genetic differences of ecotypes are too subtle to define them as their own species, but they are still unique populations with distinct genes. This certainly wouldn’t be the first genetically unique group discovered in the 21st century. In fact, over 270 new species were described in the year 2018 alone. A new orca type, however, would probably be the biggest one – literally – discovered in a while. So why do we care if these type D orcas really are genetically unique? Does a slight difference in DNA really matter to the people paying to go on a whale watching tour? Well, it turns out that small difference can be quite meaningful. South American night monkeys were once treated as one species, but scientists discovered that they had actually been looking at nine different species – potentially skewing the results of their research. This had major implications because that genus was used for studies on malaria treatments and not every species may have even been susceptible to the disease, putting human lives at risk. Although orcas are not studied for purposes of treating any human diseases, the issues that each ecotype faces are not always the same, and overarching conservation goals may not be able to help each unique type.

Orcas are not considered an endangered species, but some ecotypes are considered threatened or endangered due to local issues related to pollution, conflicts with fishing, and habitat loss. The fact that researchers were finally able to observe and record information about type D orcas is a grand feat in of itself, and the information gathered in their expedition can aid in any conservation management efforts, even if it turns out the type D orcas are not their own genetically distinct group.