Best Southern Resident
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Tahlequah is a Southern Resident orca dolphin residing in the Pacific Northwest. She is notable for exhibiting prolonged maternal behavior following the death of her calf, J35, carrying him for seventeen days. This behavior drew global attention to the plight of this critically endangered population...
Ruffles was a male Southern Resident orca, specifically part of the J1 matriline. He gained recognition through his distinctive, highly undulating dorsal fin shape – a rare trait among this population. Researchers followed Ruffles for years, documenting his movements and behavior as part of ongoing...
Tahlequah is a wild orca belonging to the Southern Resident killer whale population. She gained international recognition in 2018 when she maintained her dead calf’s body for seventeen days and travelled over one thousand miles across the Pacific Ocean. This behavior highlighted the severe challenge...
The Ocean Sun (L25) was a critically important member of the Southern Resident killer whale population. This individual is notable for being one of the oldest known orcas, with estimates suggesting she lived over ninety years. Researchers tracked her movements and behavior, contributing valuable dat...
Granny, designated J2 by researchers, was a female killer whale in the Southern Resident community of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. She was regarded as the matriarch of J pod and was identified through long-term photographic monitoring of individual whales. Although popular accounts described her...
Lolita, also referred to as Tokitae, was an orca from the Southern Resident killer whale population who was captured in Penn Cove, Washington, in 1970. She was held in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida for over five decades until her death in August 2023. During her time at the facility,...
Luna (officially designated L98) was a male Southern Resident orca who became separated from his L-pod family in 2001 and took up residence in Nootka Sound, British Columbia. Living alone for several years, the young whale became famous for his frequent, often dangerous interactions with boats and p...
Slick, catalogued as J16, is a female killer whale belonging to the Southern Resident population of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Researchers identify her through enduring physical features and long-term photographic records maintained for individually known members of J pod; she is the central fe...
Onyx, catalogued as L87, is a male Southern Resident killer whale born in 1992. He belongs to the endangered population of fish-eating orcas that uses coastal waters of the northeastern Pacific and is identified by researchers through stable physical markings and a standardized alphanumeric code. Af...
A wild Southern Resident killer whale born around 1977, notable as the matriarch of her family group until her presumed death in 2018.
A wild Southern Resident killer whale born in 1991, recognized as a prominent mature adult male within the endangered J-pod.
