What Do Orca Whales Eat?

They primarily eat fish, seals, sea lions, other whales. Feeding strategies have evolved over millions of years to efficiently capture their preferred prey.

Attribute	Details
Type	Marine mammal
Family	Cetacea
Habitat	Oceans worldwide
Conservation	Protected in most countries
Research Status	Ongoing scientific study

The Short Answer

Orcas (killer whales) are apex predators with the most diverse diet of any marine mammal. Depending on their ecotype and location, orcas eat fish (especially salmon, herring, and tuna), marine mammals (seals, sea lions, dolphins, and even large whales), sharks (including great whites), rays, squid, and seabirds. An adult orca consumes 200-400 pounds of food daily.

Orca Diet by Ecotype

Different orca populations have specialized diets:

Ecotype	Primary Prey	Location	Hunting Style
Resident (Southern)	Chinook salmon (90%+)	Pacific Northwest	Cooperative fish herding
Resident (Northern)	Chinook salmon, chum	Pacific Northwest	Echolocation hunting
Transient (Bigg’s)	Seals, sea lions, porpoises	Pacific Northwest	Stealth ambush
Offshore	Sharks, rays, fish	Open Pacific	Deep diving
Type A Antarctic	Minke whales	Antarctic	Pack hunting
Type B Antarctic	Weddell seals	Antarctic	Wave washing

Complete Prey List

Orcas have been documented eating an extraordinary variety of prey:

Fish Species Consumed

Fish Type	Species Examples	Regions
Salmon	Chinook, chum, coho, pink, sockeye	Pacific Northwest
Tuna	Bluefin, yellowfin	Open ocean
Herring	Atlantic, Pacific	Northern waters
Halibut	Pacific halibut	North Pacific
Cod	Pacific cod, lingcod	Northern Pacific
Mackerel	multiple whale species	Worldwide

Marine Mammals Hunted

Prey Type	Species	Hunting Method
Seals	Harbor, elephant, Weddell	Beach attacks, wave washing
Sea Lions	California, Steller	Ambush at haul-outs
Dolphins	multiple whale species	Group pursuit
Porpoises	Harbor, Dall’s	Ramming, drowning
Whales	Gray whale calves, minke	Coordinated pack attacks
Walrus	Pacific walrus	Rare, dangerous prey

Sharks and Rays

Species	Notable Behavior	Region
Great White Shark	Orcas eat only the liver	South Africa, California
Sevengill Shark	Common prey in some areas	Pacific
Blue Shark	Opportunistic hunting	Open ocean
Stingrays	multiple whale species	Coastal waters
Manta Rays	Documented attacks	Tropical waters

Daily Food Requirements

Orca Category	Daily Food Intake	Annual Consumption
Adult Male	300-400 lbs (135-180 kg)	55,000-73,000 lbs/year
Adult Female	200-300 lbs (90-135 kg)	36,500-55,000 lbs/year
Juvenile	100-200 lbs (45-90 kg)	18,250-36,500 lbs/year
Nursing Calf	Mother’s milk	N/A

Famous Hunting Techniques

Orcas are renowned for their sophisticated hunting strategies:

Technique	Description	Prey Target
Carousel Feeding	Herd fish into tight ball, stun with tail slaps	Herring, mackerel
Wave Washing	Create waves to knock seals off ice floes	Weddell seals
Beach Attack	Intentionally strand on beach to grab prey	Sea lions, seals
Karate Chop	Stun prey with powerful tail strikes	Sharks, rays
Drowning	Hold prey underwater until exhaustion	Dolphins, gray whales
Liver Extraction	Surgically remove shark livers	Great white sharks

Nutritional Value of Common Prey

Prey Item	Calories per lb	Fat Content	Protein Content
Chinook Salmon	900-1,000	15-20%	20-25%
Harbor Seal	1,500-2,000	40-50%	20-25%
Shark Liver	2,500+	70-80%	10-15%
Herring	800-900	10-15%	18-22%
Sea Lion	1,200-1,500	30-40%	20-25%

Marine mammals and shark livers provide the highest caloric value, explaining why transient orcas have more efficient diets than fish-eating residents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do orcas eat great white shark livers?

Orcas specifically target great white shark livers because they are extremely nutritious - containing up to 80% fat and rich in squalene. The liver can weigh up to 600 pounds and provides an enormous caloric reward. Orcas have learned to flip sharks upside down, inducing a state called “tonic immobility,” then surgically extract the liver with remarkable precision.

Do all orcas eat the same food?

No, different orca populations have completely different diets that are culturally transmitted from mother to offspring. Resident orcas eat fish and would never hunt a seal, while transient orcas eat marine mammals and rarely consume fish. These dietary preferences are so ingrained that different ecotypes don’t interbreed despite sharing the same waters.

How do baby orcas learn what to eat?

Orca calves learn hunting techniques and food preferences from their mothers and other pod members over many years. This cultural transmission of hunting knowledge is one of the most sophisticated examples of animal culture. Young orcas practice hunting skills through play and observation before participating in actual hunts around age 2-3.

Can orcas eat humans?

There are no documented fatal attacks on humans by wild orcas. Despite their name “killer whales” and their ability to eat almost anything in the ocean, orcas do not include humans in their diet. Scientists believe this may be because humans are not part of their culturally learned prey preferences.

How much salmon do Southern Resident orcas need?

Southern Resident orcas require approximately 18-25 Chinook salmon per day per whale to meet their nutritional needs. With only about 75 individuals remaining, this population needs access to hundreds of thousands of Chinook salmon annually. Declining salmon populations are a primary threat to their survival.

Seasonal Feeding Patterns

Orca diets often change seasonally based on prey availability:

Season	Northern Residents	Southern Residents	Transients
Spring	Following salmon runs	Chinook runs	Hunting gray whale calves
Summer	Peak salmon feeding	Concentrated feeding	Harbor seal pupping season
Fall	Chum salmon runs	Scattered prey	Sea lion abundance
Winter	Reduced activity	Challenging period	Year-round hunting

Conservation Implications

Understanding orca diets is crucial for conservation:

Issue	Impact	Affected Population
Salmon Decline	Primary food shortage	Southern Residents (endangered)
PCB Contamination	Toxins accumulate in fatty prey	All populations
Climate Change	Shifting prey distributions	Worldwide
Overfishing	Competition for prey	Fish-eating ecotypes

Learn more about how much killer whales weigh and why orcas are called killer whales.

Comparison to Other Marine Predators

Predator	Primary Diet	Daily Intake	Hunting Range
Orca	Varied (fish, mammals, sharks)	200-400 lbs	Global
Great White Shark	Seals, fish	30-50 lbs	Coastal
Sperm Whale	Giant squid, fish	2,000+ lbs	Deep ocean
Leopard Seal	Penguins, fish, seals	15-30 lbs	Antarctic

Orcas stand alone as the most versatile and successful marine predator, capable of hunting virtually any prey in the ocean.

Related Questions

• Where Do Killer Whales Live?
• How Much Does a Killer Whale Weigh?
• Why Orcas are Called Killer Whales?
• Will Killer Whales Attack Humans?