Actualités

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the tropical Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) are observed every year but sightings are sporadic and mostly taking place offshore. In the last few years, researchers and members of the public have generously shared their observations with Maeva Terrapon, a PhD candidate at the University of St Andrews (Scotland). With her work, Maeva aims to better understand the ecology (diet, distribution, abundance, movements) of this large predator in the tropics, and most specifically, in the tropical SWIO. 

Thanks to recent reports, Maeva has now compiled over 90 sightings of killer whales and identified more than 50 different individuals from our region, including several re-sightings of known individuals over the years. Killer whales were observed predating on a large range of species, from a humpback whale calf to a giant manta ray and even a tiger shark (see our most recent publication for photos and description of this event!). 

This study is still ongoing and Maeva will soon compile all available data for her PhD and for a scientific publication, involving collaborations with other IndoCet members. Every new sighting is valuable and provides important new insights into the ecology of this species in our region. 

Have you or any of your colleagues, neighbours, friends or family members encountered killer whales at any time in the past? Were you lucky to see and/or photograph them anywhere in the tropical Southwest Indian Ocean? If you haven’t already shared your sighting and would like to contribute to this project, Maeva would love to hear from you (maeva.terrapon@gmail.com or mt208@st-andrews.ac.uk). A dedicated website will also be available later this year to continue sharing your killer whale sightings in the future – so fingers crossed for great observations in 2025! Thank you to all of you for your contributions.  

Contributor: Maeva Terrapon