A Family Like No Other
The Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) are an extraordinary population of killer whales that live in the Salish Sea and along the Pacific Northwest coast. Unlike transient (Bigg’s) killer whales that hunt marine mammals, Southern Residents are fish-eating killer whales, relying almost entirely on Chinook salmon for survival.
Meet the Pods
J Pod is the most frequently seen pod in the Salish Sea, often traveling along the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia year-round. Known for their tight social bonds and vocal nature, J Pod has some of the most famous individuals, including J2 Granny, who was estimated to be over 100 years old.
L Pod is the largest pod, often traveling in smaller subgroups rather than as a full unit. They tend to spend more time in open waters compared to J and K pods, making them one of the most mysterious of the Southern Residents. L Pod has some of the oldest living whales, including L25 Ocean Sun, who may have been born in the late 1920s.
K Pod is the smallest of the three pods, known for its wide-ranging movements between the Salish Sea and the outer Pacific coast. They are often the first to leave the inland waters in the fall, making them more difficult to track. K Pod has faced significant population challenges, with fewer surviving calves in recent years.
A Legacy at Risk
Once numbering over 140 individuals, the Southern Resident population has dropped to fewer than 75 whales. They were first recognized as an endangered population in 2005, and their decline has been driven by human-caused threats such as:
Overfishing, habitat destruction, and climate change have drastically reduced their primary food source, Chinook salmon.
Increased boat traffic and industrial noise interfere with their ability to communicate and hunt.
Increased boat traffic and industrial noise interfere with their ability to communicate and hunt.
Despite these challenges, conservation efforts are underway to restore their food supply, protect their waters, and ensure future generations can still witness these whales in the wild.
How the Pods Stay Connected
Southern Residents aren’t just a random group of whales, they are a family network, with individuals staying in matrilineal groups their entire lives. Each pod is made up of smaller family units, usually centered around an elder female, who acts as the leader and knowledge keeper.
At Resident Connections, we’ve built a unique interactive network graph that lets you explore these connections, showing which whales are related, which travel together, and how generations are linked.
