逆戟鲸或虎鲸具有世界性分布，并且已经记录或建议了几个不同的种群或类型。三到五种类型的逆戟鲸可能截然不同，足以被视为不同的种族、亚种，甚至可能是物种（参见物种问题）。IUcN在 200ostly on minke whales.
type b1 or pack ice orcas are smaller than type A. It has a large white eye patch. most of the dark parts of its body are medium grey instead of black， although it has a dark grey patch called a “dorsal cape“ stretching back from its forehead to just behind its dorsal fin. the white areas are stained slightly yellow. It feeds mostly on seals. type b1 orca are abundant between Adelaide Island and the mainland Antarctic peninsula.
type b2 or Gerlache orcas are morphologically similar to type b1， but smaller. this ecotype has been recorded feeding on penguins and seals， and is often found in the Gerlache Strait.
type c or Ross Sea orcas are the smallest ecotype and live in larger groups than the others. Its eye patch is distinctively slanted forwards， rather than parallel to the body axis. Like type b， it is primarily white and medium grey， with a dark grey dorsal cape and yellow-tinged patches. Its only observed prey is the Antarctic cod.
type d or Sub-Antarctic orcas were first identified based on photographs of a 1955 mass stranding in New Zealand and six at-sea sightings since 2004. the first video record of this type was made in 2014 between the Kerguelen and crozet Islands， and again in 2017 off the coast of cape horn， chile. It is recognizable by its small white eye patch， narrower and shorter than usual dorsal fin， bulbous head (similar to a pilot whale)， and smaller teeth. Its geographic range appears to be circumglobal in sub-Antarctic waters between latitudes 40°S and 60°S. Although its diet is not determined， it likely includes fish， as determined by photographs around longline vessels， where type d orcas appeared to be preying on patagonian toothfish (dissostichus eleginoides).
types b and c live close to the ice， and diatoms in these waters may be responsible for the yellowish colouring of both types. mitochondrial dNA sequences support the theory that these are recently diverged separate species. more recently， plete mitochondrial sequencing indicates the types b and c be recognized as distinct species， as should the North pacific transients， leaving the others as subspecies pending additional data. Advanced methods that sequenced the entire mitochondrial genome revealed systematic differences in dNA between different populations. A 2019 study of type d orcas also found them to be distinct from other populations and possibly even a unique species.