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

L-5 Tanya, F (est. 1964). Tanya has one living son named Flash (L-73). Her other son, Sparky (L-58), died at about age 22.

K-13 Skagit, F (1972). Skagit keeps busy with her four offspring, Spock (K-20), Scoter (K-25), Deadhead (K-27), and youngest offspring, Cali (pronounced Kah-lee) (K-34). Skagit is a first time grandmother to Spock's calf Comet (K-38).

L-7 Canuck, F (est. 1961). Canuck and her daughter Lulu (L-53) are rarely seen apart. Both of these whales are very active and can be observed in their above water actions.

K-14 Lea, F (1977). Lea has three living offspring -- Lobo (K-26), Yoda (K-36) and 2008 calf K-42 who is not yet named.

L-12 Alexis, F (est. 1933). Alexis has no immediate living offspring. Alexis spends a lot of time with Mystery (L-85) who has lost all known older females in his family group.

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 2002 she gave birth to Sonata (K-35) who is doing well.

L-22 Spirit, F (est. 1971). Spirit is part of a very active family consisting of her two offspring, Skana (L-79) and Solstice (L-89), and younger brother Onyx (L-87).

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-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.

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 his sister Raggedy (K-40).

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.

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.

K-25 Scoter, M (1991). Scoter is the second of four offspring born to Skagit (K-13). Scoter is growing into adulthood and spending more time with Lobo (K-26) a male his same age.

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 2008 calf K-42 who is not yet named.

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

K-27 Deadhead, F (1994). Deadhead is one of four offspring born to Skagit (K-13). She was named to honor the passage of Jerry Garcia, the leader of the rock band "Grateful Dead."

L-53 Lulu, F (1977). Lulu loves to breach and is one of L Pod's most active whales. She travels mainly with her mother Canuck (L-7). Sometimes they are seen with J Pod.

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-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).

L-55 Nugget, F (1977). L-55 Nugget, F (1977). Nugget has three living offspring. Her two daughters are, Kasatka (L-82) and Lapis (L-103). Nugget gave birth to her third offspring, Takoda (L-109), in 2007.

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-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).

K-35 Sonata, M (2002). Sonata is the only living offspring of Opus (K-16). These two whales are seen with various groups in K Pod, but most often with Lea (K-14) and her offspring.

L-73 Flash, M (1986). Flash is the second calf born to Tanya (L-5). He likes to hang out with his cousin, Saanich (L-74).

K-36 Yoda, F (2003). Yoda is the fourth offspring of Lea. Yoda has two siblings -- Lobo (K-26) and 2008 calf K-42 who is not yet named. Yoda is often seen playing with pod mates Rainshadow (K-37), Cali (K-34) and Sonata (K-35).

K-37 Rainshadow, M (2004). Rainshadow is the fourth calf born to Sequim (K-12). This youngster has a nephew named Tika (K-33) who is three years older. Rainshadow stays close to mom and they are often seen with Spock and Comet.

L-77 Matia, F (1987). Matia is at the age where she could have her first calf. She's gotten a lot of mothering experience the last few years caring for her younger sibling Calypso (L-94).

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-78 Gaia, M (1989). Gaia is an adult male and can be seen with his mother Grace and brother Wave Walker (L-88).

K-40 Raggedy, F (est. 1963). Raggedy is named from the tattered condition of her dorsal fin along its trailing edge. She has never been seen with a calf of her own, but is often seen traveling with her brother Cappuccino (K-21).

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."

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 a sister named Lapis (L-103) and a younger sibling named Takoda (L-109).

L-83 Moonlight, F (1990). Moonlight was first seen by researchers only a few hours after she was born. She has a younger sister named Muncher (L-91). Moonlight gave birth to her first calf, Midnight (L-110), who was first seen in August 2007.

L-84 Nyssa, M (1990). Nyssa's mother Nootka died in 1999. Now he travels with his cousin Saanich (L-74) and Tanya (L-5) and her son Flash (L-73).

L-85 Mystery, M (1991). Mystery lost his mother at the age of fhree. His aunt stepped in until she died in 2005. Now he's seen mainly with Alexis (L-12) who seems to have "adopted" him.

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 name Ophelia (L-27). Surprise gave birth to her first calf Pooka (L-106) in 2005, and another new calf L-112 first seen in January 2009,surprising everyone once again!

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 sometimes travels with K Pod and can often be seen with Georgia (K-11).

L-88 Wave Walker, M (1993). Wave Walker is the youngest of five born to mother, Grace (L-2). He and Gaia (L-78) are Grace's living offspring, and they are a tight family.

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.

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

L-91 Muncher, F (1995). Muncher stays close to her mother Marina (L-47), older sister Moonlight (L-83) and her offspring Midnight (L-110).

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.

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.

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 young male about his age.

L-100 Indigo, M (2001).Indigo is Ino's (L-54) first offspring. This small subgroup was down to just the two of them when Ino had another calf Coho (L-108) in 2006. Now the two brothers have one another to play with.

return to the Orca Adoption page