Orca Encyclopedia Resident Resident whales are the most studied because, as the name suggests, they tend to stay within a defined range. The pods are matriarchal in nature, and are generally comprised of several generations of females and their offspring. Orca Encyclopedia Transient Transient whales have also been identified off the coast of British Columbia. These whales tend to travel alone or in small groups of two and three. As the term transient implies, these whales do not stay within an easily-defined home range.
Transients feed primarily on marine mammals.
Perhaps due to their isolated nature, or perhaps because they do not want to advertise their presence to the seals, sea lions, and even other species of whales on which they prey, their vocalizations are much less frequent than those of their resident cousins. Because of their far-ranging natures, these whales are much more difficult to study, and therefore, less is known abou their habits, social structures, and communications. Scientists believe that resident and transient whales do not interact. In fact, they believe that they are so genetically distinct that they would not mate.