Orcas live … Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) We typically think of orcas living in colder climates, but about 500 orcas live in the Gulf of Mexico where they feed on tuna and even dolphins in the Gulf’s deep waters, typically far from land. They are found in deep tropical and subtropical waters. It was a fish story that even veteran boat captains found fascinating: As many as 200 killer whales feeding on tuna in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A pod of orcas or killer whales were spotted at least 100 miles from their natural, deep, cold water habitat. Wednesday, March 25, 2009 By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer . Despite the fact that the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish in the ocean, little is known about their biology and ecology.Other than a few accounts of their occurrence, information is scant for whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico region. The warm weather, connecting rivers and waterways and abundant food supply makes the Gulf … Orcinus Orca, or Killer Whales, have been around as long as time can remember. Top Texas Gulf Coast Dolphin & Whale Watching Activities: See reviews and photos of dolphin & whale watching in Texas Gulf Coast, Texas on Tripadvisor. But the orca (yes, like Shamu at Sea World) are predominate in colder waters, like the north Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A video posted on Instagram shows a group of orcas swimming in the Gulf of Mexico near a boat full of fishermen. In the United States, NOAA says, they can be found in Hawaii, the northern Gulf of Mexico, and the western North Atlantic. Then, the unexpected happened. Killer Whale (Orcinus Orca) INFORMATION AND CHARACTERISTICS. In fact there are over 25 different species of whale and dolphin that can be found swimming, living and traveling through the waters of the gulf of Mexico. Hundreds of killer whales seen in Gulf of Mexico. Sightings of these animals in the northern Gulf of Mexico occur primarily over the deeper waters off the continental shelf [Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) unpublished data]. Killer whale cannibalism has also been reported based on analysis of stomach contents, but this is likely to be the result of scavenging remains dumped by whalers. KILLER WHALE (Orcinus orca): Northern Gulf of Mexico Stock STOCK DEFINITION AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE The killer whale is distributed worldwide from tropical to polar regions (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). A pod of orcas, better known as killer whales, were swimming not far from their boat. Orcinus Orca, or Killer Whales, have been around as long as time can remember. Sightings of these animals in the northern Gulf of Mexico (i.e., U.S. Gulf of Mexico) during 1951-1995 occurred 240 November 2010 .