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The Importance of the Orca Matriarch

Isn't it amazing how family-oriented killer whales are? They wouldn't be very successful out there in the big wide ocean without their moms and sisters and brothers! Once a female orca gives birth to a calf, that calf is going to stick by her side for life. Family pods are the core unit of orca society, and they are headed by the female matriarch. She's generally a wealth of information since she's been around the longest, and she can show her family the ropes as far as where to...

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It's Kind of a Family Thing

Isn't it fascinating how tied to their families orcas are? By mom's side for life...I'm sure some human moms wish this were the case for their own children. As part of a matriarchal social structure, newborn calves will stick close to Mom and nurse for their first year of life, eventually becoming weaned. But, unlike, say, a humpback whale, these calves don't go off on their own after a year or two. They're going to stay with mom for life. She's the leader of the pod, and the...

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Members of J pod Southern Resident Killer Whales

Transient Orcas, Resident Orcas, and J-pod Oh My!

 

Orcas, Killer Whales, Blackfish, Sea Pandas – the species scientifically labeled Orcinus orca is known by many names, and they are probably one of the most distinctive looking mammals in the sea. Although these large, intelligent, black and white dolphins look a lot different than you or me, you’d be surprised how similar we and they are… but first let’s talk about an awesome day.

 

            It was one of the sunniest and clearest days that I’ve seen this spring as we left...

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