Dorsal Nicks

Guess who was here today? T137A "Jack"!

T137A "Jack"

One of the most frequent questions we get is how we can tell the killer whales apart. Orca whales have large dorsal fins that come in a variety of shapes and sizes that helps us tell them apart. The gray saddle patch marking at the base of the dorsal fin is distinct, and acts as a "fingerprint" to that individual. Finally, we look for nicks and scars on the dorsal fin and back that give us more signifying clues. We keep a whole ID catalogue on all the orcas that come into our islands. Check out this page from our ID catalogue below and try the exercise!

Take a look at the ID photos, then scroll back up to the orca photo. Notice the differences? Can you pick out the individual from the photo from these ID options? Congratulations! You've just done your first ID practice!

Photo by Liberty

Catalogue photos from the Center for Whale Research ID Guide