Orca Archives (Research Library)

The Orca Research Trust is host to the ORCA ARCHIVES library which holds of over 2,000 orca-specific scientific manuscripts, reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, books and other documentation. This is believed to be the largest library of orca-specific documents in the Southern Hemisphere. The ORCA ARCHIVES also holds a range of orca photo-identification catalogues from around the world.

The library has an additional 3,000 documents which support our research (for example; reference books on prey species, necropsy protocols, legislation regarding cetaceans).

The ORCA ARCHIVES are used by scientists and students all over the world, who frequently contact us about obscure documents or meta-data searches for aspects such as the maximum distance orca have travelled, longest duration of scars on an orca, prey types and social networks.

Our earliest document is from 1558 and we have a number from the 1800’s. One classic manuscript is by a Danish zoologist called Daniel Frederik Eschricht; titled “On the species of the genus Orca inhabiting the northern seas” which was published in 1866. He has included remarkable drawings, such as the pectoral fin of an orca illustrated on the right.

If you wish to access items in our library, please contact info@orcaresearch.org to arrange a time to visit. Please keep in mind that we are a research library, and that we may be out in the field.