CreatureData

Orca vs Risso's dolphin

The orca is heavier: 4.3 t against 387.5 kg for the risso's dolphin, about 11 times the weight.

Orca (Orcinus orca)
Orca DDData Deficient
Photo: Robert Pittman · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Risso's dolphin LCLeast Concern
Photo: National Marine Mammal Laboratory, no individual author credit given · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

What is the difference between a orca and a risso's dolphin?

Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.

  • The orca is heavier: 4.3 t against 387.5 kg for the risso's dolphin, about 11 times the weight.
  • The orca is longer-lived: 90 years against 30 years for the risso's dolphin, about 3.0 times the lifespan.
  • They share the family Delphinidae but sit in different genera: Orca in Orcinus, Risso's dolphin in Grampus.
  • The orca is listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List; the risso's dolphin is Least Concern.

Side by side

OrcaRisso's dolphin
Scientific nameOrcinus orcaGrampus griseus
FamilyDelphinidaeDelphinidae
OrderCetaceaCetacea
Weight4.3 t342.5 kg – 460 kg
LengthNot recorded3.05 m
Lifespan90 years30 years
Main foodafrican penguin, albatross, atlantic bluefin tuna, atlantic spotted dolphin, atlantic wolffish, balaenoptera musculus and 42 moreNot recorded
HabitatmarineNot recorded
Conservation statusData DeficientLeast Concern
Countries recordedNot recordedNot recorded

A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.

Full record: OrcaFull record: Risso's dolphinCompare other animals