Killer whales occur in the Gulf of Mexico (GoMex) and the North Atlantic, including off the southeastern United States (SEUS). Data from cetacean surveys during 1990 – 2021 and other sources were combined to assess killer whale biology, including spatial and temporal distribution, social structure, genetics, morphology, acoustics, and predatory behavior. GoMex records occurred predominantly in oceanic waters (>200 m) during spring and summer. SEUS records occurred primarily in winter and spring off the North Carolina region along the shelf-edge and deeper waters, and off the east coast of Florida. Photo-identification analysis of GoMex killer whales resulted in 49 individuals sighted up to seven times with sighting histories up to 26 years, and social analysis provided evidence of long-term relationships up to 16 years. The GoMex genetic samples revealed two mtDNA haplotypes, one of which does not match any outside the GoMex. Most GoMex whales had wide non-faint saddle patches and many had cookiecutter shark scars while no scars were noted on SEUS whales. Three groups recorded in the GoMex made few calls, but a group harassing sperm whales produced many. Cetaceans and tuna are known prey in the GoMex and SEUS, respectively. Directed studies of killer whales in the GoMex areas would be difficult to implement as this species is very rare. It is therefore important to pursue ongoing efforts to collect behavioral, acoustic and any biological samples that will contribute to improve our understanding of the biology and ecology of killer whales in tropical and subtropical regions.

中文翻译：

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墨西哥湾和美国东南部附近北大西洋的虎鲸


虎鲸分布在墨西哥湾 （GoMex） 和北大西洋，包括美国东南部 （SEUS） 附近。将 1990 年至 2021 年期间鲸类调查的数据和其他来源的数据相结合，以评估虎鲸的生物学特性，包括空间和时间分布、社会结构、遗传学、形态学、声学和捕食行为。GoMex 记录主要出现在春季和夏季的海洋水域 （x3E200 m）。SEUS 记录主要发生在冬季和春季，沿着北卡罗来纳州地区沿着大陆架边缘和更深的水域，以及佛罗里达州东海岸。对 GoMex 虎鲸的照片鉴定分析导致 49 只个体被目击多达 7 次，目击历史长达 26 年，社会分析提供了长达 16 年的长期关系的证据。GoMex 基因样本揭示了两种 mtDNA 单倍型，其中一种与 GoMex 以外的任何单倍型都不匹配。大多数 GoMex 鲸鱼都有宽阔而不微弱的马鞍斑块，许多鲸鱼有千篇一律的鲨鱼疤痕，而 SEUS 鲸鱼则没有发现疤痕。在 GoMex 中记录的三个群体发出的叫声很少，但一群骚扰抹香鲸的叫声却很多。鲸类和金枪鱼分别是 GoMex 和 SEUS 的已知猎物。对 GoMex 地区的虎鲸进行定向研究将很难实施，因为该物种非常罕见。因此，重要的是要继续努力收集行为、声学和任何生物样本，这将有助于提高我们对热带和亚热带地区虎鲸生物学和生态学的理解。