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J Pod

Photo: Seattle times

About J Pod

J1 and J2 are the first male and female pair Canadian biologist Dr. Mike Bigg came across as he was determining the numbers of killer whales in the Pacific Northwest.  After spending time in the northern Vancouver Island waters with pods A through I, Dr. Bigg travelled Haro Strait and the southern tip of Vancouver Island to find the so-called Southern Residents.  Though these two iconic whales are no longer living, J pod still remains to be our most "urban" family, often frequenting Elliot Bay near Seattle during the winter months and the first to return to the San Juan Islands during spring.

Member Count (2023, CWR):

25

Matrilines:

J11s
J14s
J16s
J17s
J19s
J22s

The Members

The J11s

J11 (deceased)

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J27 (b. 1991)

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J31 (b. 1995)

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J39 (b. 2003)

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J56 (b. 2019)

The J14s

J14 (deceased)

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J37 (b. 2001)

J40 (b. 2004)

J39 (b. 2009)

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J49 (b. 2012)

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J59 (b. 2022)

The J16s

J16 (EST. b. 1972)

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J26 (b. 1991)

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J36 (b. 1999)

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J42 (b. 2007)

The J17s

J17 (deceased)

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J28 (deceased)

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J35 (b. 1998)

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J44 (b. 2009)

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J53 (b. 2015)

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J46 (b. 2006)

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J47 (b. 2010)

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J57 (b. 2020)

The J19s

J19 (b. 1979)

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J41 (b. 2005)

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The J22s

J22 (b. 1985)

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J38 (b. 2003)

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J51 (b. 2015)

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J58 (b. 2020)

Click to view K Pod

J POD highlights

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With six known offspring she is the oldest animal in the J pod though once originally thought to be and actually published and documented as a male. J16 was known to leave her young offspring with our research vessel to "calf-sit" and surf tanker wakes travelling Haro Strait, Washington.

J16 "Slick"

Photo: miles ritter | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Image by Tim Marshall
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