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HOW TO ADOPT A WHALE

Step 1: DECIDE ON A MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE
Review the Membership Packages and select a package that suits you.

Step 2:
DECIDE ON A WHALE
To adopt a whale, make your choice by referring to the family trees. Each whale has been identified with its scientific number, adoption name, gender, and year of birth.

Step 3: PURCHASE OPTIONS

ONLINE:
Click above link to purchase your adoption package online.

PRINT & MAIL: find the printable form here. Please print and mail adoption form to our street address.

B.C. Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program - Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
P.O. Box 3232 - Vancouver, BC, Canada - V6B 3X8

KEY
to help you interpret the family relationships in killer whale groups.
Clan A clan refers to Pods that are linked by sharing a similar vocal dialect and have probably descended from a common ancestral group. A-clan is one of three clans in the Northern resident community.
Pod A Pod is a group of related whales that tends to travel together most of the time. The A1 Pod is one of ten Pods in the A-clan and had 15 whales in the 1998 field census.

Matriline A Matriline is part of a Pod that always travels together. Each Matriline is a closely related family unit comprised of a matriarch and her offspring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

CHOOSE A WHALE TO ADOPT

Northern Residents, Southern Residents and Transient Killer Whales
FAMILY TREES (start here to view all trees)

Northern Residents: These killer whales generally travel in large Pods of closely related individuals within predictable ranges and feed primarily on fish. The northern resident community patrols the waters off northern Vancouver Island and the mainland north coast as far as southeast Alaska.The northern resident community of whales includes the following nine Pods:
     
Click on the links below to view the individual whales within their matrilines and groups.
A1
Pod 		A4
Pod 		A5
Pod 		B1
Pod 		C1
Pod 		D1
Pod		 G1
Pod 		I11
Pod 		R1
Pod
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

 

Southern Residents: These killer whales generally travel in large Pods of closely related individuals within predictable ranges and feed primarily on fish. The southern resident community patrols the waters off southern Vancouver Island around Georgia Strait and the San Juan Islands. The southern resident community of whales includes the following three Pods:

Click on the links below to view the individual whales within their matrilines and groups.

J
Pod 		J
Pod 		K
Pod 		L
Pod 		     
 


TRANSIENTS: These killer whales roam over large areas of the coast in smaller groups, feeding on marine mammals such as seals and sea lions. Individual B.C. transients have been spotted as far away as western Alaska and the California coast. All B.C transients share a common dialect. Transients have a much looser social structure than residents and do not usually form large kinship groupings.

The B.C. community of transients includes the following six groups:

 


In 1973, Canadian scientists began compiling photographs of killer whales off southwest B.C. using physical characteristics such as nicks, scars and the shape of dorsal fins to identify individual whales. This pioneer photo identification program, now an annual event, has enabled scientists to construct detailed family trees for each Pod. These are the whales that you can choose from to adopt.

To adopt a whale, make your choice by referring to the family trees above. Each whale has been identified with its scientific number, adoption name, gender, and year of birth. (see key to right).

For more on family trees see clans in the fieldnotes section.