Page "Killer whale" Paragraph 14

* Offshore: A third population of killer whales in the northeast Pacific was discovered in 1988, when a humpback whale researcher observed them in open water.

As their name suggests, they travel far from shore and feed primarily on schooling fish.

However, because of the large, scarred and nicked dorsal fins resembling those of mammal-hunting transients, they may also eat mammals and sharks.

They have mostly been encountered off the west coast of Vancouver Island and near the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Offshores typically congregate in groups of 20 – 75, with occasional sightings of larger groups of up to 200.

Currently, little is known about their habits, but they are genetically distinct from residents and transients.

Offshores appear to be smaller than the others, and females are characterized by dorsal fin tips that are continuously rounded.