page_title: Dwarf killer whale
section_title: Ecotypes
hierarchical_section_title: Dwarf killer whale / Ecotypes
caption_attribution_description: English: Known types of Killer Whale
context_page_description: The familiar killer whale is a cosmopolitan species, found in all oceans of the world. Despite being the most widespread mammal in the world, only one species is currently recognized. Oceanic Science journals have long hinted at the existence of a complex breed of miniature killer whales since the 1950s. The dwarf killer whale is a type of killer whale found in Antarctic waters believed by some scientists to be a distinct species from the larger killer whales found throughout the world's oceans. Since Soviet researchers proposed new species in the 1980s, the differences in killer whales have been studied more closely in order to gain more credible knowledge on possible subspecies of the killer whale. There are several ecotypes that have been established in regards to the whales physical appearances and body length by Pitman and colleagues. A recent study proposed by Pitman et al. used aerial photogrammetry to determine the size of numerous Type C killer whales, supporting early Soviet research which suggested that one or possibly two distinct species of killer whale exist in the Southern Ocean.
context_section_description: Based on the Soviet research, four ecotypes of killer whales have currently been established in regards to size and physical characteristics: A, B, C, and D.
caption: The four ecotypes of killer whales that have been identified and separated as species in regards to their unique physical features.
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