killer whales

Simon Fraser University has released an open-access catalog compiling decades of killer whale recordings into a searchable online library. Listeners can identify populations, clans and pods by their calls alone. The collection highlights how the three Pacific ecotypes carry distinct dialects, and how clans within a single population differ vocally, giving researchers and the public a new tool for studying orca communication.

Researchers have compiled a new acoustic catalogue that matches killer whale calls to individual animals, allowing scientists to identify which orca is vocalising from sound alone. The tool could improve tracking of pods and populations across the world's oceans. Marine science communities are sharing the study widely, calling it a promising step for orca research and conservation monitoring.