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J-2 Granny, F (est. 1911). Granny is believed to be the oldest female in J, K, and L pods. She plays a very active role in the community by acting as a babysitter for many of the young calves. Granny is also one of the orcas who was in the "Free Willy" movies.

K-12 Sequim, F (est. 1970). Sequim was named after a Makah native village located on the Olympic Peninsula. She has three living offspring, Sekiu (K-22), Rainshadow (K-37) and Saturna (K-43).

L-2 Grace, F (est. 1960). Grace has one living offspring, son Wave Walker (L-88). She has had several unexpected losses in her family.

J-8 Spieden, F (est. 1933). Spieden makes a distinctive wheezing sound when she breathes through her blowhole. When researchers hear her they can identify J Pod even at night or in deep fog.

K-13 Skagit, F (1972). Skagit keeps busy with her four offspring, Spock (K-20), Scoter (K-25), Deadhead (K-27), and Cali (pronounced Kah-lee) (K-34). Skagit is the grandmother of Comet (K-38) and Ripple (K-44).

L-22 Spirit, F (est. 1971). Spirit is part of a very active family consisting of her two adult male offspring, Skana (L-79) and Solstice (L-89).


J-14 Samish, F (est. 1974). Samish belongs to the J2 family group. Her living offspring are Hy'Shqa (J-37), Suttles (J-40), and Se-Yi'-Chn (J-45). She is the grandmother to Hy'Shqa's calf, J-49.

K-14 Lea, F (1977). Lea has three living offspring -- Lobo (K-26), Yoda (K-36) and Kelp (K-42).

L-25 Ocean Sun, F (est. 1928). Ocean Sun has outlived her immediate family. She spends most of her time with Mega (L-41) and his sisters.

J-16 Slick, F (est. 1972).Slick has three living offspring: Mike (J-26), Alki (J-36) and Echo (J-42). They are most often seen traveling together.

K-16 Opus, F (1985). Opus was seen with her first calf during the winter of 2000/2001, however the calf did not survive. In late 2002 she had her second offspring, Sonata (K-35), who can most often be seen close by his mother.

L-26 Baba, F (est. 1956). Baba's only living family members are her daughter, Ballena (L-90), and grandson, Crewser (L-92). They are a tight knit group and will sometimes be seen with J Pod.


J-17 Princess Angeline, F (1977). Princess Angeline is named after the daughter of Chief Seattle, the Duwamish elder for whom Seattle is named. She has two daughters, Polaris (J-28) and Tahlequah (J-35), and a son, Moby (J-44). She became a grandmother twice in three months when her daughters each had their first offspring. Princess Angeline is one of the orcas who was in the "Free Willy" movies.

K-20 Spock, F (1986). For years researchers thought Spock was male because of her tall, straight dorsal fin that is typical of males. However, in December 2004 she had her first known calf, Comet (K-38), proving that she is indeed a female.

L-27 Ophelia, F (est. 1965). Ophelia has two younger sisters, Nugget (L-55) and Surprise (L-86). She has outlived all four of her offspring but has the opportunity to spend time with her two sisters and their offspring.

J-19 Shachi, F (1979). Shachi's first calf, J-29, was born in 1993 but only lived a few weeks. She spent much of her time babysitting young calves until July 1, 2005 when she had another calf, Eclipse (J-41).

K-21 Cappuccino, M (1986). Cappuccino is a mature male. He has a distinct saddle patch and a very wide dorsal fin. He is seen often traveling with Opus (K-16) and Sonata (K-35). His sister Raggedy (K-40) has not been seen since June, 2012.

L-41 Mega, M (1977). Mega was born one year after the study of the Southern Resident Community began so we have been able to watch him grow from a small calf into the large adult male he is today.

J-22 Oreo, F (1985). Oreo has two offspring: DoubleStuf (J-34) and Cookie (J-38).
K-22 Sekiu, F (1987). In spring 2001 Sekiu was seen with her first calf, Tika (K-33). She and Tika are close knit and can often be seen with Sekiu's mother, Sequim.

L-47 Marina, F (1974). Marina is a member of a very cohesive family unit made up of her three offspring, Moonlight (L-83), Muncher (L-91) and Mystic (L-115). Marina also has one grandson, Midnight (L-110).

J-26 Mike, M (1991). Mike was named after the "father of killer whale research," Dr. Michael A. Bigg, who passed away in 1991. Mike has two living siblings, Alki (J-36) and Echo (J-42).

K-25 Scoter, M (1991). Scoter is the second of four offspring born to Skagit (K-13). Scoter travels closely with his family, and is sometimes seen with other males his age.

L-53 Lulu, F (1977). Lulu loves to breach and is one of L Pod's most active whales.She and her mother Canuck (L-7) were sometimes seen with J Pod. Since her mother died in 2010, Lulu is most often seen with Racer (L-72) and her offspring Fluke (L-105) traveling with L Pod.

J-27 Blackberry, M (1991). Blackberry, his brother Mako (J-39) and sister Tsuchi (J-31) lost their mother in 2008. They travel closely with the J22 and the J17 family groups.

K-26 Lobo, M (1993). Because Lobo's mom, Lea (K-14), lost her first two calves, she was a bit more protective of him. Lobo has two younger siblings, Yoda (K-36) and Kelp (K-42).

L-54 Ino, F (1977). Ino outlived her family. However that changed when she had her first calf Indigo (L-100) in 2001. In spring of 2006, Ino gave birth to her second calf Coho (L-108). In December 2010 she had her third offspring Keta (L-117).

J-28 Polaris, F (1993). Polaris is the first calf of Princess Angeline (J-17). She has always been a spunky whale and can often be found "in the crowd." Polaris was seen with her first known calf, Star (J-46), in November, 2009.

K-27 Deadhead, F (1994). Deadhead is one of four offspring born to Skagit (K-13). She was named to honor the passing of Jerry Garcia, the leader of the rock band "Grateful Dead." Deadhead had her first offspring, Ripple (K-44), in July, 2011.

L-55 Nugget, F (1977). Nugget has four living offspring. Her two daughters are Kasatka (L-82) and Lapis (L-103) her son is Takoda (L-109), and yougest, Jade (L-118) whose gender is not yet known. Nugget became a grandmother when Kasatka had her first calf, Finn (L-116), in August 2010.

J-31 Tsuchi, F (1995). Tsuchi is Blackberry's (J-27) younger sister. Her name comes from the Japanese word for "melon-headed whale," a North Pacific species of cetacean sometimes seen off the coast of Washington.

K-33 Tika, M (2001). Tika is the first known calf of Sekiu (K-22). The name Tika has Chinook origins meaning "swift." He stays close to mom.

L-72 Racer, F (1986). Racer was first photographed off Race Rocks, near Victoria, British Columbia. She has outlived her mother. Racer has a younger brother Nigel (L-95), and in October 2004, Racer had her first calf, Fluke (L-105).

J-32 Rhapsody, F (1996). Rhapsody was J-20's first calf. Her mother died over the winter of 1998-99 and now Rhapsody travels mainly with her aunt Oreo (J-22) and cousins DoubleStuf (J-34) and Cookie (J-38).

L-77 Matia, F (1987). Matia is eight years older than her sister Calypso (L-94). Matia is only the second whale of the L-12 subgroup to have a calf, L-114, in the last fourteen years. Her first offspring, L-114, seen in February 2010 did not survive. On May 29, 2012, Matia was seen with a new calf, L-119.


J-34 DoubleStuf, M (1998). DoubleStuf is the first known calf born to Oreo (J-22). He was first seen in December 1997. His younger brother, J-38, is named Cookie. Rhapsody (J-32) is also a member of this close knit family.

K-34 Cali, M (2001). Cali (pronounced Kah-lee) is the youngest calf of Skagit (K-13). He has a brother, Scoter (K-25), and two sisters, Spock (K-20) and Deadhead (K-27). Cali means "heart" in the Coast Salish language.

L-79 Skana, M (1989). Skana means "killer demon" or "supernatural power" in the language of the Haida tribe of the Northwest coast of British Columbia; they also use the word to mean "killer whale."

J-35 Tahlequah, F (1998). Tahlequah is Princess Angeline's (J-17) second offspring. She has an older sister named Polaris (J-28), a brother J-44, who was first seen in January 2009. In November 2009 Tahlequah became an aunt when sister Polaris had her first calf J-46. Tahlequah was seen with her first offspring, Notch (J-47), on January 3, 2010.

K-35 Sonata, M (2002). Sonata is the only living offspring of Opus (K-16). These two whales are often seen traveling with Cappuccino (K-21).

L-82 Kasatka, F (1990). Kasatka is a Russian word which means both "darling" and "killer whale." Her mother is Nugget (L-55). Kasatka has three siblings, Lapis (L-103) Takoda (L-109), and Jade (L-118). Kasatka had her first offspring, Finn (L-116), in October 2010.

J-36 Alki, F (1999). Alki is the third offspring born to Slick (J-16). Alki has an older brother Mike (J-26), and a younger sibling Echo (J-42). These two are often seen together.

K-36 Yoda, F (2003). Yoda is the fourth offspring of Lea. Yoda has two siblings -- Lobo (K-26) and Kelp (K-42). Yoda is often seen playing with pod mates Rainshadow (K-37), Cali (K-34) and Sonata (K-35).

L-83 Moonlight, F (1990). Moonlight had her first offspring Midnight (L-110) in 2007. Her mother is Marina (L-47). She has a sister named Muncher (L-91) and a brother, who is 20 years younger, named Mystic (L-115).

J-37 Hy'Shqa ("Hy'shka"), F (2001). Hy'Shqa had her first offspring, J-49, in August 2012. Hy'Shqa's family consists of living siblings Suttles (J-40) and Se-Yi'-Chn (J-45), mother Samish (J-14), and great-grandmother Granny (J-2). "Hy'Shqa" is a Coast Salish/Samish word for "blessing" or "thank you." The name was give to her during a traditional potlatch ceremony held by the Samish Nation on October 6, 2001.

K-37 Rainshadow, M (2004). Rainshadow is the fourth calf born to Sequim (K-12). He has a nephew named Tika (K-33) who is three years older. Sequim had her fifth calf, Saturna (K-43), first seen February 2010. Rainshadow is very attentive to his little sister Saturna.

L-84 Nyssa, M (1990). Nyssa's mother Nootka died in 1999. He traveled with Tanya (L-5) and Ino (L-54) and her family. With the loss of Tanya (L-5) he has continued to travel with Ino and her family.

J-38 Cookie, M (2003). Cookie is Oreo's (J-22) youngest calf. Cookie's older brother is DoubleStuf (J-34). Cookie is part of a very tight knit family group.

K-38 Comet, M (2004). Comet is the first calf of Spock. A comet streaks through the dark sky just like the whale, Comet, likes to streak through just under the water's surface. This youngster can be seen sticking close to his mom.

L-85 Mystery, M (1991). Mystery lost his mother at the age of three. His aunt stepped in until she died in 2005. He traveled with Alexis (L-12) until her disappearance in 2012. He continues to stay close with his L12 subgroup.

J-39 Mako, M (2003). Mako's name derives from the Japanese "mako kujira" which means sperm whale. Mako has two siblings, Blackberry (J-27), and Tsuchi (J-31). He is a very playful whale.

K-42 Kelp, M (2008). Kelp is the fifth offspring of Lea. He has two siblings -- Lobo (K-26) and Yoda (K-36). Kelp is a spunky whale who has lots of playmates.

L-86 Surprise!, F (1991). The birth of this calf surprised researchers back in 1991 since there was a 14-year gap between Surprise (L-86) and her older sister, Nugget (L-55). She has another sister named Ophelia (L-27). Surprise! has one living offspring Pooka (L-106). Her other, Sooke (L-112), washed up to shore in February 2012.

J-40 Suttles, F (2004). Suttles is the offspring of Samish (J-14). Her living siblings are Hy'Shqa (J-37) and Se-Yi'-Chn (J-45). Suttles was named in a traditional potlatch naming ceremony held by the Samish Nation on October 1, 2005.

K-43 Saturna, F (2010). Saturna is the fifth offspring of Sequim (K-12). She is a spunky whale. Saturna and her brother, Rainshadow (K-37), are often seen playing together while their mother is off foraging.

L-87 Onyx, M (1992). Onyx's family consists of his sister Spirit (L-22) and her two sons and a cousin named Mystery (L-85). Onyx traveled with K Pod for a few years and now travels with J Pod.

J-41 Eclipse, F (2005). Eclipse is the second calf of Shachi. Eclipse was born on July 1, 2005 and there was concern because this calf was so tiny. When not playing with other whales her age, she can be found traveling near her mother.
K-44 Ripple, M (2011). Ripple is the first offspring of Deadhead (K-27). He was first seen early in the morning, along the west side of San Juan Island, traveling in his mother's slipstream. Ripple's grandmother is Skagit (K-13). He has one cousin Comet (K-38), one aunt, Spock (K-20), and two uncles, Scoter (K-25) and Cali (K-34).

L-88 Wave Walker, M (1993). Wave Walker is the youngest of four born to mother, Grace (L-2). He is Grace's only living offspring, and they are very close.

J-42 Echo, Female (2007). Echo is the fourth known calf of Slick (J-16). She is very active, often seen leaping above the surface. Echo is short for 'echolocation' which is what the whales use to navigate and forage.

L-89 Solstice, M (1993). Solstice is the son of Spirit (L-22). He has an older brother named Skana (L-79). This little family sticks together and seems to be very playful with each other.

J-44 Moby, M (2009). Moby is the first male offspring of Princess Angeline (J-17). At the age of one he was already an uncle to his two sisters' calves Star (J-46) and Notch (J-47).

L-90 Ballena, F (1993). Ballena means "whale" in Spanish. The killer whale is often referred to as "ballena pinta" or the painted whale.

J-45 Se-Yi'-Chn (pronounced “sea-ee-chin”), M (2009). Se-Yi'-chn is a Coast Salish/Samish word meaning "younger sibling" or the younger one in the family. He is the sixth offspring of Samish (J-14). His living siblings are Hy'Shqa (J-37) and Suttles J-40. Se-Yi'-chn was named in a traditional potlatch naming ceremony held by the Samish Nation on October 17, 2009.

L-91 Muncher, F (1995). Muncher stays close to her mother Marina (L-47), older sister Moonlight (L-83) and Moonlight's offspring Midnight (L-110). She has a sibling named Mystic (L-115), who is 15 years younger.

J-46 Star, F (2009). Star is the first offspring of Polaris (J-28), seen for the first time passing by Lime Kiln Lighthouse on November 11, 2009. Her mother is very independent. This may give Star many opportunities to meet and play with others besides her uncle Moby (J-44) and cousin Notch (J-47).

L-92 Crewser, M (1995). Crewser was first seen in May of 1995 and was sexed as a male by the researchers while his mom, Rascal (L-60), was pushing and rolling him around.

J-47 Notch, M (2010). Notch is the first offspring of Tahlequah (J-35). He has a cousin named Star (J-46) and an uncle named Moby (J-44). The three are often seen playing together. He acquired a large notch on the trailing edge of his dorsal fin before he was a year old.

L-94 Calypso, F (1995). Calypso's sister is Matia (L-77) and her brother is Mega (L-41). They are a tight family group and most often Ocean Sun (L-25) travels with them. She had her first offspring, Cousteau (L-113), who was first seen by her side on October 10, 2009.

L-95 Nigel, M (1996). Nigel has an older sister Racer (L-72), and a nephew named Fluke (L-105). He is often seen with Crewser (L-92), another male about his age.

L-100 Indigo, M (2001). Indigo is Ino's (L-54) first offspring. This small subgroup was down to just two when Ino had another calf Coho (L-108) in 2006. The family now numbers four. Ino had her third offspring, Keta (L-117), in December 2010.

L-103 Lapis, F, (2003). This is the third calf of Nugget (L-55). Lapis has three siblings - Kasatka (L-82), younger siblings Takoda (L-109) and baby L-118. Lapis has two aunts and a cousin.

L-105 Fluke, M, (2004). Fluke got his name because there was uncertainty as to who his mother is. After several encounters, the Center for Whale Research determined that Racer (L-72) is his mother.

L-106 Pooka, M, (2005). Pooka is a creature of myth. According to legend Pooka is an adroit shape changer and most commonly takes the form of a sleek black or white horse.This Pooka is a killer whale who was born to Surprise! (L-86).
L-108 Coho, M (2006). This is the second calf of Ino's. Coho has an older brother named Indigo (L-100) and a younger sibling, Keta (L-117). Coho and Keta are names for some of the salmon species that the Southern Resident orcas feed on in the Pacific Northwest.

L-109 Takoda, M (2007). Takoda is the fourth known calf of Nugget (L-55), first seen near Monterey Bay, California in March, 2007. Takoda means "friend to everyone" in the Sioux Indian language.

L-110 Midnight, M (2007). Midnight is the first known calf of Moonlight. He was first seen in midsummer in the Strait of Juan de Fuca traveling in his mother's slip stream. Midnight was only a day or two old when first spotted.

L-113 Cousteau, F (2009) First seen in October 2009 near Port Townsend, Cousteau has the distinction of being the first calf born to this subgroup in fourteen years. Mother L-94 is named for Jacques Cousteau's research vessel the Calypso. The name Cousteau now honors famous researcher Jacques Cousteau.

L-115 Mystic, M (2010). Mystic is the seventh offspring of Marina (L-47). At the age of one year, he had already outlived four previous siblings. Mystic is a very active young whale. He has two siblings, Moonlight (L-83) and Muncher (L-91).
L-116 Finn, M (2010). Finn is the first offspring of Kasatka (L-82). His grandmother is Nugget (L-55). Finn has an aunt named Lapis (L-103) an uncle named Takoda (L-109), and another aunt or uncle, Jade (L-118), whose gender is not yet known.
L-117 Keta, Unknown (2010). Keta is another word for Chum salmon, a fish these whales eat. His/her sex is not yet known. Keta has two brothers, Indigo (L-100) and Coho (L-108). Coho's name is also the name of a salmon species.
L-118 Jade, Unknown (2011). Jade is the fifth offspring of Nugget (L-55). Jade has three living siblings, Kasatka (L-82), Lapis (L-103), Takoda (L-109), and one nephew, Finn (L-116).

Photo credits: Jeanne Hyde

(Note: The birth of a calf is rarely witnessed by researchers, so it is difficult to determine the actual birth date. Periodically, we gain new information which may change birth years. Birth years are established by the Center for Whale Research based on the best science at the time.)

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