How long do killer whales live?

Life expectancy of killer whales in the Pacific Northwest is approximately 30 to 50 years for females and 19 to 30 years for males. However, the relatively long life of killer whales makes it difficult to accurately estimate their typical life expectancy.

As of 2015, detailed studies of killer whales date back only about 40 years, so it's difficult to determine a maximum age for killer whales. This also makes it difficult to determine whether killer whales live longer in captivity or in the wild. Although many people believe that captivity causes stress on killer whales, killer whales in the wild face a wide range of threats.