#Southern Resident Orcas

[life-on-our-planet]

Southern resident orcas, also known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), are an exclusively fish-eating ecotype of orcas that live in and around the Salish Sea. They differ genetically from transient orcas as well as having different dialects and diets. © Rachel Haight - Orca Network

[nando161mando]

[trua23]

An early Christmas gift arrived a few days ago. SEATTLE — A young female J pod orca calf recently spotted by the Center for Whale Research (CWR) in Puget Sound has now been confirmed by the organization to be the offspring of Tahlequah, the whale who carried her dead calf for at least 17 days and 1,000 miles in 2018.

The calf, designated as J61, was first seen traveling with the Southern Resident killer whale J pod on Friday.

[cipher-the-sidhe]

New baby in L-pod let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! 💜

31 year old L-90 Ballena and her first baby. Fingers crossed the little one survives and is a female! It’d be great to see this matriline pull back from the brink.

In typical Ballena fashion, she’s being a bit peculiar, and she and her calf have been traveling alone around Lime Kiln without the rest of the pod. Wonder what that’s about, and when these two will meet back up with the rest of L pod?

[swirlingyouintomypoems]

Has peta ever said anything abt the vaquita or southern residents or are they too busy getting mad at seaworld for having animals they literally can’t release

[semiotomatics]

NEW CALF IN J POD THIS IS NOT A DRILL THERE'S BEEN A NEW J POD CALF SPOTTED!!! 😭😭😭

[orca-sketcher]

Swim free, beautiful girl. At least your suffering is over.

[naturesmomentsphotography]

As much as her passing hurts, I believe she's back home. We can't see her, she's not physically there but I believe her spirit is finally home where she belongs with her family and swimming free. She's finally home, just not in a way we wanted, but she's free and her spirit and legacy will live on.

Edit made of Toki and her mother L25 Ocean Sun who is still alive and swimming free in the ocean

[whaleposters]

Resident Killer Whales of the Pacific Northwest: Life History, Anatomy and Growth art print poster. Available at cetek.etsy.com.

[smilingpepperonisgirl]

So sad that she wasn’t allowed to come home.

[stephaniestarshine]

It finally happened, I saw orcas today.

I got paid to whale watch.

[nando161mando]

[trua23]

A photo from the Whale Museum from their December 2024 E-News. Here's hoping to a prosperous new year for the Southern Residents.

[cipher-the-sidhe]

Meet L-112: Sooke. This young female Southern Resident Orca died of blunt force trauma, cause unknown. Learning from her tragically young death can do a lot of good for further preserving and protecting her critically endangered living family in L, K, and J pods.

This big boy is L-8, Moclips! You can’t really get a good idea of how big this 18 year old bull was, even with me standing dwarfed next to his skeleton, but he was HUGE!

(Skeletons on display at the Whale Museum on San Juan island, WA)

[mcbiteypantspresents]

I have lived in the Pacific Northwest for almost 20 years and I am ONLY LEARNING TODAY that in 1987 our orca pod (the Southern Resident orcas) had a trend of wearing salmon hats. I am obsessed and it's all I care about today.

AND THERE'S MORE! Last year a hipster orca tried to bring the fad back... he wasn't even born when the fad first happened!

Orcas have many cultural behaviors unique to specific pods including elaborate greetings, popular vacation spots, and play behaviors.

Image Sources: scientificamerican.com @emmaluck22 on Twitter kqed.org public radio