Southern Resident Killer Whales of the Salish Sea
A living field guide to J, K and L Pods—the families, individuals and histories of the endangered fish-eating killer whales of the Pacific Northwest.
Search by J-, K- or L-number, nickname or matriline. We’ll take you directly to the matching catalogue results.
Meet the salmon specialists
Southern Resident killer whales are an endangered, fish-eating killer-whale population made up of three pods—J, K and L. They are socially and genetically distinct from the mammal-eating Bigg’s killer whales that share parts of the same Pacific Northwest waters.
Salmon are central to Southern Resident ecology, with Chinook salmon especially important to their diet. Decades of photo-identification research allow scientists to recognize every living whale, follow births and deaths, and trace family relationships across generations.
This first WUTA Southern Resident catalogue emphasizes the living population and its current matrilines and social subgroups. Historical whales, individual profile pages, photographs and deeper family histories can be layered into the guide as the learning center grows.
Living Southern Residents expected in the provisional July 1, 2026 census, pending final confirmation by the Center for Whale Research.
J-Pod whales in the current working count used for this guide.
K-Pod whales in the current working count, including K47.
L-Pod whales in the provisional working count, including L130 and excluding the lost calf L129.
Reading a Southern Resident designation
Every Southern Resident has a pod letter—J, K or L—followed by an individual number. The number reflects the order in which whales were identified in the early study years or, for later calves, the next designation assigned within that pod. It is an individual ID, not a family-tree code.
What does “J16s” mean?
The added “s” refers to a matriline or family group. The J16s include J16 and her descendants, even though those descendants have completely different individual numbers such as J26, J36 and J42.
Why don’t calves match their mother’s number?
Southern Resident numbers are assigned within the pod, not by maternal generation. That makes the system fundamentally different from the letter-and-number family designations commonly seen in Bigg’s killer whales.
The 2026 census is still provisional
The Center for Whale Research conducts the annual Southern Resident census as a July 1 snapshot. As of this August 26, 2026 review, researchers expected a population of 76 but still needed a final encounter with the Greater L4 subgroup to confirm the count.
This guide therefore labels the 2026 total as provisional. It also treats K47’s maternity cautiously because current public sources differ, and it leaves L130’s maternity and sex unresolved. L129, first documented in February 2026, was absent when the group was re-encountered in June and is expected to be recorded as both a birth and a death within the census year.
Find a whale or family
Search by J-, K- or L-number, nickname or matriline. Open any entry to see current members, recent losses and family notes.
01 J16s — Slick’s family J Pod
Current / recently active members
- J16 / Slick — female, estimated born 1972
- J26 / Mike — male, born 1991
- J36 / Alki — female, born 1999
- J42 / Echo — female, born 2007
Historical / missing / presumed deceased
- J64 — calf born to J42 in September 2025; missing within weeks and presumed deceased
Family notes
- The J16s are one of six living J-Pod matrilines.
- J42 / Echo produced her first confirmed calf, J64, in 2025; the calf did not survive.
02 J19s — Shachi’s family J Pod
Current / recently active members
- J19 / Shachi — female, born 1979
- J41 / Eclipse — female, born 2005
- J51 / Nova — male, born 2015
- J58 / Crescent — female, born 2020
- J62 — female, first seen in late December 2024
Family notes
- J19 / Shachi is one of the oldest living females in J-Pod.
- J62 is a daughter of J41 / Eclipse and was first documented at the end of 2024.
03 J22s — Oreo’s family J Pod
Current / recently active members
- J22 / Oreo — female, born 1985
- J38 / Cookie — male, born 2003
Family notes
- The J22s are currently one of J-Pod’s smallest matrilines.
04 J11s — descendants of Blossom J Pod
Current / recently active members
- J27 / Blackberry — male, born 1991
- J31 / Tsuchi — female, born 1995
- J39 / Mako — male, born 2003
- J56 / Tofino — female, born 2019
Family notes
- The J11 matriline is named for deceased matriarch J11 / Blossom; her descendants remain part of the living family line.
- J56 / Tofino is a daughter of J31 / Tsuchi.
05 J17s — Tahlequah’s family J Pod
Current / recently active members
- J35 / Tahlequah — female, born 1998
- J44 / Moby — male, born 2009
- J46 / Star — female, born 2009
- J47 / Notch — male, born 2010
- J53 / Kiki — female, born 2015
- J57 / Phoenix — male, born 2020
Family notes
- The J17s are one of J-Pod’s largest current matrilines.
- J35 / Tahlequah became internationally known after carrying her deceased calf for an extended period in 2018; she later gave birth to surviving son J57 / Phoenix in 2020.
06 J14s — Samish family line J Pod
Current / recently active members
- J37 / Hy’shqa — female, born 2001
- J40 / Suttles — female, born 2004
- J45 / Se-Yi’-Chn — male, born 2009
- J49 / T’ilem I’nges — male, born 2012
- J59 / Sxwyeqólh — female, born 2022
- J63 — female, first seen April 2025
Family notes
- The J14 family line descends from J14 / Samish.
- J63 was first documented in April 2025 and is the first documented calf of J40 / Suttles.
07 K12s — Sequim’s family K Pod
Current / recently active members
- K12 / Sequim — female, estimated born 1972
- K22 / Sekiu — female, born 1987
- K33 / Tika — male, born 2001
- K37 / Rainshadow — male, born 2003
- K43 / Saturna — female, born 2010
Family notes
- The K12s are one of four current K-Pod matrilines.
- K12 / Sequim has been a long-lived matriarch within the endangered population.
08 K13s — Spock’s family K Pod
Current / recently active members
- K20 / Spock — female, born 1986
- K27 / Deadhead — female, born 1994
- K38 / Comet — male, born 2004
- K45 / Uhura — female, born 2022
Family notes
- K45 / Uhura was the first successful calf born into K-Pod after an approximately 11-year gap.
- K45 is a daughter of K20 / Spock.
09 K14s — Lea’s family K Pod
Current / recently active members
- K14 / Lea — female, born 1977
- K36 / Yoda — female, born 2003
- K42 / Kelp — male, born 2008
Family notes
- The K14s have historically formed a close family unit within K-Pod.
- A new K-Pod calf designated K47 was first documented in December 2025; its final maternity assignment is treated separately below because current public sources do not yet fully agree.
10 K16s — Opus and Sonata K Pod
Current / recently active members
- K16 / Opus — female, born 1985
- K35 / Sonata — male, born 2002
Family notes
- The K16s are currently the smallest established K-Pod matriline.
11 K47 — 2025 K-Pod calf update Recent update
Current / recently active members
- K47 — sex unknown, first documented December 2025
Status or relationship not fully resolved
- Maternity / matriline placement remains under review in this WUTA edition. OBI currently lists K47 with the K14s, while July 2026 reporting based on Center for Whale Research observations said K43 / Saturna was considered the likely mother.
Family notes
- Because maternity determines matriline placement, this guide keeps K47 as a separate update until the relationship is resolved in a final research catalogue or census update.
12 L12 legacy group — Spirit, Ocean Sun and Onyx L Pod
Current / recently active members
- L22 / Spirit — female, estimated born 1971
- L25 / Ocean Sun — female, estimated born as early as 1928
- L87 / Onyx — male, born 1992
Family notes
- L25 / Ocean Sun is currently regarded as the oldest living Southern Resident killer whale.
- L87 / Onyx is unusual among Southern Residents because he spent many years associating primarily with K- and J-Pods before returning to the L12 subgroup.
13 L54s — Ino’s subgroup L Pod
Current / recently active members
- L54 / Ino — female, born 1977
- L88 / Wavewalker — male, born 1993
- L108 / Coho — male, born 2006
- L117 / Keta — male, born 2010
Family notes
- The L54s are the smallest of the major L-Pod subgroups.
- L88 / Wavewalker is the last surviving member of the L2 matriline and travels socially with the L54s.
14 Greater L4s — largest L-Pod subgroup L Pod
Current / recently active members
- L55 / Nugget — female, born 1977
- L82 / Kasatka — female, born 1990
- L86 / Surprise — female, born 1991
- L90 / Ballena — female, born 1993
- L103 / Lapis — female, born 2003
- L106 / Pooka — male, born 2005
- L109 / Takoda — male, born 2007
- L116 / Finn — male, born 2010
- L118 / Jade — female, born 2011
- L123 / Lazuli — male, born 2015
- L125 / Element — female, born 2021
Historical / missing / presumed deceased
- L128 — calf of L90 / Ballena, born September 2024 and lost within weeks
Family notes
- The Greater L4s are the largest major social subgroup in L-Pod and include several matrilines.
- L90 / Ballena produced her first documented calf, L128, in 2024; the calf did not survive.
15 L72s — Racer and Fluke L Pod
Current / recently active members
- L72 / Racer — female, born 1986
- L105 / Fluke — male, born 2004
Family notes
- L105 / Fluke is especially recognizable by his tall dorsal fin and bold open saddle patches.
16 L11s — Matia, Calypso and descendants L Pod
Current / recently active members
- L77 / Matia — female, born 1987
- L94 / Calypso — female, born 1995
- L113 / Cousteau — female, born 2009
- L119 / Joy — female, born 2012
- L121 / Windsong — male, born 2015
- L124 / Whistle — female, born 2018
- L126 / Balcomb — male, born 2023
- L127 / Scuba — female, born 2023
Family notes
- L126 and L127 were both documented as new calves in 2023.
- L124 / Whistle has a distinctive split/open left saddle patch used for photo-identification.
17 L47s — Moonlight and descendants L Pod
Current / recently active members
- L83 / Moonlight — female, born 1990
- L91 / Muncher — female, born 1995
- L110 / Midnight — male, born 2007
- L115 / Mystic — male, born 2010
- L122 / Magic — male, born 2015
Family notes
- The L47s are part of the Greater L4 social subgroup.
18 L129 & L130 — 2026 L-Pod calf update Recent update
Current / recently active members
- L130 — calf first documented June 14–15, 2026; sex and maternity unresolved in public reporting
Status or relationship not fully resolved
- L130’s mother had not been confirmed in the public material reviewed for this guide. Researchers said further observations were needed.
Historical / missing / presumed deceased
- L129 — calf first documented February 2026; not found with the group in June and expected to be recorded as a birth and death in the 2026 census year
Family notes
- The provisional July 1, 2026 census was expected to place the living Southern Resident population at 76, pending one final confirming encounter with the Greater L4 subgroup.
- The guide will update this entry when the Center for Whale Research publishes the final 2026 census and maternity information.
Where the facts come from
This WUTA guide is independently written and is intended as an educational companion to—not a replacement for—the long-term research catalogues and population monitoring maintained by the organizations below.
- Center for Whale Research — ORCA SURVEY
- NOAA Fisheries — Southern Resident Killer Whale
- Orca Behavior Institute — current individual whale profiles
- Orca Behavior Institute — Southern Resident pods and subgroups
- Encyclopedia of Puget Sound — provisional 2026 census reporting based on CWR
Common names are included where established in current public identification resources. Estimated birth years are shown as estimates. Family assignments and calf status can change as researchers obtain new photographs and observations.
