During the winter, they migrate northward to warmer climates, including some parts of the tropics. These orcas make appearances around New Zealand as well. They grow to over thirty feet in length and have distinctive saddle patches, and like other orca populations, appear to have a matriarchal social organization. It is also the largest orca population in the world, numbering around 15,000. (All told, the four Antarctic orca populations comprise over 70 percent of the world’s estimated total population of 100,000 orcas; one survey put the total Antarctic population at 80,000.)
Largest subtype
