Breeding outcomes,
female by female, human care vs. wild
This is a different piece from the other articles. It is purely to demonstrate stats on breeding success (and failure) in human care and the wild, showing you each whale, from various facilities and pods, unfiltered. On zoological whales, the location specifies where she was a breeding female, not where she originated.
Different species of animals are different and face different health problems (for example, cetaceans in the wild are prone to respiratory infections, intestinal problems, and deafness), but when some people are shocked by whales in human care having miscarriages - remember that between 25-50% of human pregnancies end in miscarriage, in our modern world with proper care and nutrition. This is in the vast majority of the time caused by chromosomal abnormalities, which nothing could have prevented.
Also with humans, even with the best of care and nutrition, sometimes women cannot produce enough milk, so babies need additional formula or donated milk. Think about this before judging facilities because an animal could not produce enough, or has miscarriages.
Regardless of what one thinks of keeping cetaceans in containment, whether one believes the management of the facilities cares for the animals or not, it is in their interest to make sure that as many animals survive and live as long and healthy lives as possible. This is the case for almost all animal keeping (whether from a sentimental or financial reasons), but especially with such extremely rare and highly prized animals as killer whales (one can wonder if there's any single species that's as expensive to care for as them).
Almost never is the infant mortality of other animals considered, especially animals kept more commonly - but why is one death unacceptable, but another just a shrug of the shoulders? Both are tragic. Both should be researched, so that we can find out how it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.
Around 8% of puppies are stillborn, and upwards of 30% die in the first two months of life. [Link] [Link]
Similarly, 7% of kittens are stillborn, and another 9% die in the first two months of life. [Link]
With cattle, between 4-10% of calves are stillborn. [Link] [Link]
In an Irish study, 6.4% of foals that survived birth, died in their first year of life. [Link]
These are animals we have kept for thousands of years and know almost as much about as on human health.
Last edited: 2025-1-1
Breeding females in human care
Corky 1965-alive, Marineland of the Pacific (since 1987 at SeaWorld)
1. Unnamed male, 1977, lived 15 days (Orky 2 sired all calves)
2. Spooky, 1978, lived 10 days
3. Stillbirth, 1980
4. Kiva, 1982, lived 1½ months
5. Unnamed female, 1985, lived ~1 month
6. Miscarriage, 1986
7. Miscarriage, 1987
All of Corky's four live calves failed to nurse. Theories range from the small pool, brain damage in the calves (they tried to nurse from her eyepatches, and/or seemed oblivious to their mother's presence), or Corky's genetics. She never got pregnant after 1987 and stopped cycling at only 22 years old, half the normal age.
Katina 1975-alive, SeaWorld
1. Kalina, 1985, lived 25 years (Winston)
2. Katerina, 1988, lived 10.5 years (Kanduke)
3. Taku, 1993, lived 14 years (Tilikum)
4. Unna, 1996, lived 19 years (Tilikum)
5. Ikaika, 2002, alive (Tilikum)
6. Nalani, 2006, alive (Taku)
7. Makaio, 2010, alive (Tilikum)
No known miscarriages, no stillbirths, all seven calves
survived to adulthood. Notably, Kalina was born head first,
while cetaceans are typically born tail first. Nalani is inbred,
as Katina mated with her own son.
Kasatka 1976-2017, SeaWorld
1. Takara, 1991, alive (Kotar)
2. Nakai, 2001-2022 (Tilikum, AI)
3. Kalia, 2004-alive (Keet)
4. Makani, 2013-alive (Kshamenk, AI)
No known miscarriages, no stillbirths, all calves lived to adulthood. She was caught at only 1-2 years of age but was a good mother.
She witnessed Kayla's birth and assisted Kenau two years before having her own calf.
Kenau 1975-1991, SeaWorld
1. Baby Shamu 2, 1986, lived 11 days (Winston)
2. Kayla, 1988, lived 30 years (Orky)
Kandu 5 1974-1989, SeaWorld
1. Stillbirth, 1986 (Winston)
2. Orkid, 1988- (Orky)
Bjossa 1977-2001, Vancouver Aquarium
1. Unnamed female, 1988, lived for 3 weeks (Hyak)
2. K'yosha, 1991, lived for 3 months (Hyak)
3. Unnamed female, 1995, died immediately after birth (Finna)
Bjossa was unable to produce enough milk for her first two calves, and they had to be hand-raised in a time when this was very much trial and error (rescued orphan dolphins in those days often had to be euthanized on the spot in those days because the care at the time just couldn't save them). This could be genetic, it happens to humans as well as all other mammals, or it could be because of insufficient care/diet for Bjossa. The third calf died because of a ruptured umbilical cord, something nothing could have prevented.
Gudrun 1976-1996, SeaWorld
1. Taima, 1989, lived for ~21 years (Kanduke)
2. Nyar, 1993, lived for 2.5 years (Tilikum)
3. Stillbirth, 1996 (Tilikum)
Nyar was born sick and had many troubles. Gudrun thus tried to drown her as animals sometimes do with sick offspring, and they were separated. Gudrun passed away four days after suffering her stillbirth.
Haida 2, 1981-2001, Sealand of the Pacific and SeaWorld
1. Kyuquot, 1991-alive (Tilikum)
2. Unnamed female, 1995, lived for 5 weeks (Kotar)
3. Died in womb, 2001 (Tilikum, AI)
Haida died pregnant from a brain abcess, so her last calf died with her. Her second calf was one of only three calves at SeaWorld (3/31) to die in infancy.
Nootka 4 1979-1994, Sealand of the Pacific and SeaWorld
1. Unnamed male, 1991, lived for 5 weeks (both calves sired by Tilikum)
2. Stillbirth, 1992
Nootka died just under four weeks after her stillbirth.
Nootka 5 1979-2008, Marineland Canada
1. Splash, 1989, lived for 15.5 years (Kandu 7 sired all calves)
2. Neocia, 1992, lived for ~12 years
3. Malik, 1993, lived for ~4 years
4. Unnamed female, 1998, lived for 11 days
5. Algonquin, 1999, lived for 2.5 years
6. Miscarriage, 2001
7. April, 2004, lived for 11 days
8. Miscarriage, 2006
Nootka 5 has the highest number of known pregnancies in human care (but not live births). All had poor outcomes and died before adulthood except for Splash, who was born sick, had epileptic seizures and was moved to SeaWorld at the age of 2.5 years. Out of all calves born at MLC, only Splash and Neocia lived to adulthood, so poor care was likely the cause in many, most or all of these deaths. (Neocia also had a miscarriage herself one month before her death, sired by her father.)
Kandu 7 died in December 2005, so this prevented more pregnancies.
Kiska 1976-2023, Marineland Canada
1. Unnamed calf, 1992, lived for 2 months (Kandu 7 sired all calves)
2. Kanuck, 1994, lived for ~4 years (unknown month of death)
3. Nova, 1996, lived for 4.5 years
4. Hudson, 1998, lived for 6 years
5. Athena, 2004, lived for 4.5 years
As with Nootka 5, all of these had poor outcomes. No miscarriages or stillbirths are known, but no calf lived to adulthood. As with Nootka's calf and the large number of wild-caught whales that passed through MLC, this facility had among the worst outcomes in the world.
Kandu 7 died in December 2005, so this prevented more pregnancies.
Freya 1980-2015, Marineland Antibes
1. Stillbirth, 1991 (Kim 2 sired all calves)
2. Stillbirth, 1993
3. Valentin, 1996, lived for 19.5 years
4. Stillbirth, 2001
5. Stillbirth, 2005
Freya is unique in having had so many stillbirths. She had a tumor on her side in her youth which was removed in the 90s - it is rumored this removal is what allowed her to give birth to Valentin successfully, but since the date of the surgery has not been confirmed, this is just a rumor, and she went on to have more stillbirths after him. It is unusual since the other two breeding females at MLA (not related to Freya) had very good outcomes, so it likely had to do with her genetics.
Sharkane 1984-2009, Marineland Antibes
1. Shouka, 1993-alive (Kim 2 sired all calves)
2. Inouk, 1999-2024
3. Wikie, 2001-alive
Maggie 1984-1997, Kamogawa Sea World
1. Unnamed male, 1995, died immediately after birth
2. Stillborn female, 1997
Bingo sired both calves. Maggie died two days after delivering
her stillborn calf.
Stella 1986-alive, Kamogawa Sea World and Nagoya Aquarium
1. Lovey, 1990-alive (Bingo sired all calves)
2. Lara, 2001-alive
3. Sarah, 2003-2006
4. Ran, 2006-alive
5. Lynn, 2012-alive
While her third calf Sarah died as a juvenile (aged two years, eleven months), all of Stella's calves have survived infancy and to adulthood, with no known miscarriages and no stillbirths. Both Ran and Lynn were born head first.
Ran 1987-2004, Nanki Shirahama Adventure World
1. Unnamed female, 2004, lived for two days (Kyu)
Ran showed no interest in her calf, while Kyu at first acted violently against the calf before calming down and assisting it. SInce Ran wanted nothing to do with her daughter, the calf had to be bottle-fed. It seems it was this initial violence by Kyu that broke the calf's skull, and she died two days later. Ran passed away one day after her daughter, from a respiratory infection. It was possibly this same illness that caused the calf's premature birth.
Kalina 1985-2010, SeaWorld San Antonio and Orlando
1. Keet, 1993-alive (Kotar)
2. Keto, 1995-2024 (Kotar)
3. Stillborn, 1997 (Tilikum)
4. Tuar, 1999-alive (Tilikum)
5. Skyla, 2004-2021 (Tilikum)
Kalina is the youngest of all mothers in human care, being only just six years old when she got pregnant with Keet, and 7½ when he was born. She's also said to have been unusual in teaching her calves independence and weaning them sooner than other mothers.
However, she was a good mother with a close relationship to her calves and no known issues in feeding or caring for them.
Orkid 1988-alive, SeaWorld San Diego
Orkid has been around mature males for her entire adult life, and has never been pregnant.
Taima 1989-2010, SeaWorld Orlando
1. Sumar, 1998-2010 (Tilikum sired all calves)
2. Tekoa, 2000-alive
3. Miscarriage, 2005
5. Malia, 2007-alive
6. Stillbirth, 2010
Taima was aggressive to both of her sons, trying to drown them a few months after birth, so they had to be separated. This is thought to be because of her mother Gudrun's behavior towards Taima's little sister, who was born sick and weak and Gudrun tried to kill. Later, Taima was put in with Takara and Trua a lot, and so finally became a good mother to Malia. She died while giving birth to her fifth calf. While word was that she passed the placenta first and bled out, images later surfaced of her having prolapsed her entire uterus, with the calf still inside. As she was a whale and emergency surgery was not possible, there was nothing that could be done to save her.
Takara 1991-alive, SeaWorld San Diego, Orlando and San Antonio
1. Kohana, 2002-2022 (Tilikum, AI)
2. Trua, 2005-alive (Taku)
3. Sakari, 2010-alive (Tilikum)
4. Miscarriage, 2012 (Kshamenk, AI)
5. Kamea, 2013-alive (Kshamenk, AI)
6. Kyara, 2017, lived for 3 months (Kyuquot)
Takara has had a good record, with the exception of a single miscarriage,
and Kyara passing away in infancy from respiratory conditions.
Kyara was the third calf at SeaWorld to die as an infant, out of 31
live-born calves. This makes for a mortality rate of 9%, compared
to the generally agreed 37-50% in the wild.
Kayla 1988-2019, SeaWorld San Antonio and Orlando
1. Halyn, 2005-2008 (Keet)
2. Miscarriage, 2007
Kayla was well above average age when she gave birth to Halyn shortly before she turned seventeen, but she had never seen a mother and calf before, and reacted towards her newborn daughter with aggression, trying to throw her out of the pool. Thus, Halyn had to be bottle-raised. She died at 2 years, 8 months, due to encephalitis. She was one of three of SeaWorld's 31 live-born calves dying as a juvenile.
Kayla got pregnant again, and was moved to SeaWorld Orlando to be with mothers and calves. Sadly, she miscarried. It was another ten years between this miscarriage and the end of the breeding program, and it's not known publicly why Kayla was not bred again.
Unna 1996-2015, SeaWorld San Antonio
1. Stillborn daughter, 2006
2. Miscarriage, 2009
The father is unknown but must have been either Keet or Kyuquot, making the calves inbred either way. Unna died shortly before SeaWorld ended its breeding program. She was not used for artificial insemination before the breeding program ended and all the males near her were her close relatives.
Kohana 2002-2022, Loro Parque
1. Adán, 2010-alive (Keto sired both calves)
2. Vicky, 2012-2013
Kohana was a mere 8½ years old when she gave birth, and the second youngest mother after Kalina. She had however witnessed her mother raise Trua for a couple of months before she was transferred to Loro Parque, but it was seemingly not enough lessons in mothering for her, or she was too young to learn, being only 3½ when her little brother was born.
She rejected both calves, not making any effort to help them take their first breath, and they had to be bottle-raised.
Keto is Kohana's half-uncle, making them as closely related as cousins, and making their calves inbred.
Wikie 2001-alive, Marineland Antibes
1. Moana, 2011-2023 (Ulises, AI)
2. Keijo, 2013-alive (Valentin)
Valentin is Wikie's half-brother, making Keijo inbred.
Lovey 1998-alive, Kamogawa Sea World
1. Earth, 2008-alive (Oscar)
2. Luna, 2012- alive (Oscar)
3. Calf, 2024, died soon after birth (unknown father, AI)
Kalia 2004-alive, SeaWorld San Diego
1. Amaya, 2014-2021 (Ulises)
Kalia was observed mating with Ulises many times, and was artificially inseminated with his sperm only once, because he had never (in his then nearly twenty years at SeaWorld) sired a calf naturally. Kalia became pregnant, but it can't be known if this was from AI or naturally.
Amaya survived infancy but passed away at the age of six and a half, from septicemia.
Since SeaWorld leadership put a stop to killer whale breeding in early 2017, it is impossible to know how many more calves Kalia could have had.
Morgan 2008-alive, Loro Parque
1. Ula, 2018-2021 (Keto)
Morgan was a good mother to her daughter, but could not produce enough milk, so Ula had to be hand-raised with formula in addition to Morgan's milk. They were not separated. Ula passed away shortly before her third birthday, from intestinal problems due to a one-sided diet for the last several months of her life (all cetaceans at Loro Parque was fed like this during 2021, for unknown reasons).
Loro Parque has not stopped breeding killer whales, and Morgan may yet have more calves.
Bǐnggān ~2011-alive, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park
1. Cody/Pàngdòudīng, 2021-alive (Pànghǔ sired both calves)
2. Unnamed calf, 2023, stillborn or died immediately after birth
Duǒlā ~2011-alive, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park
1. Zimo/Pàngdòubāo, 2023-alive (Pànghǔ)
Katenka 2006-alive, Chimelong Spaceship
1. Yīlóng, 2019-alive (Tyson sired all calves)
2. Katniss, 2022-alive
3. Bowen/Wǔlóng, 2023-alive
Katenka had her third calf, Wǔlóng, unusually early since
Katniss was just 22 months old at the time, and had never
been bottle-raised (pregnancies can happen again immediately
if the calf dies or is bottle-raised). However, it went well and
she is raising the two side by side.
Naya ~2012-alive, Moskvarium
1. Unnamed daughter, 2023, lived for 1 month (Nord)
Naya was the only killer whale ever in human care to give birth completely alone, since her female companion Narnia died almost a year before the birth, and Nord died six months before the birth. The birth was difficult, not much was done to intervene or help the calf nurse, and she died at four weeks of age.
Katina with three of her calves: Taku, newborn Nalani, and Ikaika
Nootka 5 with her firstborn, Splash/Katak
Stella has been a great mother to her five daughters
Takara (third from the left) with her three youngest daughters
Lovey with newborn daughter Luna, son Earth, and sister Lara
Katenka with Wǔlóng and Katniss
Breeding females of the Southern residents
The southern residents started being studied in the mid-1970s, with the first recorded deaths being made in 1974 (which means births could also not actually be recorded scientifically before then, and all birth years before the early 70s are pure guesswork).
Only females who were born after research began can be used, since if any female who was born in say, the 1950s is used, then any early calf deaths she might have had, were never recorded, and thus unfairly skews the data. Each female's entire reproductive life must be recorded, from the first known pregnancy until menopause, death, or the present day, same as with the zoological whales.
One difference worth noting between human care and the wild is that some or many females in human care may have had limited contact with breeding males at any point in their lives, which would have prevented breeding, while the wild females have potential access to males at any time. So while a zoological whale might not breed because of a lack of male, or control by humans (separation, birth control), a wild female that does not give birth is probably having fertility issues (miscarriages, inability to get pregnant).
Females that have not yet had a calf but are <20 years old will not be included.
Another major difference, which is why these comparisons are so difficult to make, is that stillbirths can only be known if a female was known to be pregnant and then not seen with a live calf - and miscarriages can only be known by testing fecal samples for pregnancy, and seeing if that female gives birth or not. This is of enormous contrast with zoological facilities, where every detail of every animal's life is under intense scrutiny.
The father is usually not known in wild whales, but will be noted when it is known (due to DNA-testing).
J-pod
J14 Samish 1974-2016 (daughter of J12 Sissy and J1 Ruffles)
1. J23 Capricorn, 1986, lived for 5 years
2. J30 Riptide, 1995, lived for 16 years
3. J37 Hy'Shqa, 2001-alive (L41 Mega)
4. J40 Suttles, 2004-alive (L41 Mega)
5. J43 Bellatrix, 2007, lived for 5 months
6. J45 Se-Yi'-Chn, 2009-alive (L41 Mega)
Samish was one of the most prolific breeding females, had her first calf at 12, ended up birthing six calves where five survived infancy.
J17 Princess Angeline 1977-2019 (daugher of J5 Saratoga)
1. J28 Polaris, 1993, lived for just under 24 years (J1 Ruffles)
2. J35 Tahlequah, 1998-alive (L41 Mega)
3. J44 Moby 2009-alive (L41 Mega)
4. J53 Kiki 2015-alive (L41 Mega)
J19 Shachi 1979-alive (daughter of J4 Mama)
1. J29 Rigel, 1993, lived for a few weeks
2. J41 Eclipse, 2005-alive (J1 Ruffles)
3. Stillbirth, 2022 (Shachi was seen pregnant, then didn't have a calf)
Shachi had her first calf at the average age of 14, but unusually long calving intervals of 12 and 17 years, suggesting a difficulty getting pregnant or repeat pregnancy loss.
J20 Ewok 1980-1998 (daughter of J10 Tahoma)
1. J32 Rhapsody, 1996, lived for 18 years (J1 Ruffles)
J22 Oreo 1985-alive (daughter of J10 Tahoma and J1 Ruffles)
1. J34 Doublestuf, 1998, lived for 18 years (L41 Mega)
2. J38 Cookie, 2003-alive
3. Unnamed female, 2016, lived for <2 weeks, found dead (K26 Lobo)
4. Miscarriage or stillbirth, 2023
Lobo is Oreo's half-nephew, making the calf inbred.
J28 Polaris 1992-2016 (daughter of J17 Princess Angeline and J1 Ruffles)
1. J46 Star, 2009-alive (J1 Ruffles)
2. "Alintak", 2013, lived for days only (L41 Mega)
3. J54 Dipper, 2015, lived for 10 months
Her first calf, Star, was sired by her own father.
Polaris starved to death shortly before turning 24, and her nursing calf Dipper starved to death shortly after.
J31 Tsuchi 1995-alive (daughter of J11 Blossom)
1. Miscarriage, 2009
2. Miscarriage, 2010
3. Miscarriage, 2012
4. Miscarriage, 2013
5. Stillbirth, 2014
6. "Mintaka", 2016, died soon after birth
7. Miscarriage, 2017
8. J56 Tofino, 2019-alive
Tsuchi has had a shocking number of failed pregnancies, only having her first viable calf at the eighth pregnancy, aged 24.
Note however, as mentioned at the top, miscarriages may occur in other females too, but just be very difficult to record in the wild.
J32 Rhapsody 1995-2014 (daughter of J20 Ewok and J1 Ruffles)
1. Miscarriage or stillbirth, 2011/2012
2. Unborn fetus, 2014
Rhapsody was seen pregnant in 2011, then skinny again in 2012. In December 2014, she was found dead, with a full-term calf that had died some time before her, and was likely the cause of her death, although she was also showing signs of starvation.
J35 Tahlequah 1998-alive (daughter of J17 Princess Angeline and L41 Mega)
1. J47 Notch, 2010-alive (L57 Faith)
2. Unnamed female, died immediately after birth
3. J57 Phoenix, 2020-alive
4. J61, 2024, lived for days or weeks
J36 Alki 1999-alive (daughter of J16 Slick and L41 Mega)
1. J52 Sonic, 2015, lived for 2 years (J26 Mike)
2. Miscarriage or stillbirth in 2021/2022
She was seen heavily pregnant in late 2021, but skinny in early 2022,
meaning she lost the calf. Mike is Alki's half-brother, making Sonic inbred.
This is especially telling because they share the same mother, grew up
together and know of each other as siblings, yet still mated.
J37 Hy'Shqa 2001-alive (daughter of J14 Samish and L41 Mega)
1. J49 T'ilem I'nges, 2012-alive (L79 Skana)
2. J59 Sxwyeqόlh, 2022-alive
She's also one of three potential mothers of J55 Betel, a calf seen in January 2016 and which died soon after birth.
J40 Suttles 2004-alive (daughter of J14 Samish and L41 Mega)
1. J60, 2023, lived for a few days
She's also one of three potential mothers of J55 Betel, a calf seen in January 2016 and which died soon after birth.
J41 Eclipse 2005-alive (daughter of J19 Shachi and J1 Ruffles)
1. J51 Nova, 2015-alive (K26 Lobo)
2. J58 Crescent, 2018-alive
Lobo is Eclipse's half-nephew, making Nova inbred.
J46 Star 2009-alive (daughter of J28 Polaris and J1 Ruffles)
1. Miscarriage/stillbirth, 2020
K-pod
K14 Lea 1977-alive (daughter of K1 Sounder and J1 Ruffles)
1. K23 Alnair, 1988, died the same year
2. K24 Delphinus, 1990, died the same year
3. K26 Lobo, 1993-alive
4. K36 Yoda, 2003-alive (L41 Mega)
5. K42 Kelp, 2008-alive (L41 Mega)
K16 Opus 1985-alive (daughter of K3 Sounder)
1. K32 Zube, 2000, lived for <1 year
2. K35 Sonata, 2002-alive (L41 Mega)
K20 Spock 1986-alive (daughter of K13 Skagit)
1. K38 Comet, 2004-alive (L87 Faith)
2. K45 Prosper, 2022-alive
K22 Sekiu 1987-alive (daughter of K12 Sequim)
1. K33 Tika, 2001-alive (L41 Mega)
2. K41 Vega, 2006, lived for 4 months
Sekiu had her first calf at 16, second at 19, and has never given birth again, now aged 37.
K27 Deadhead 1994-alive (daughter of K13 Skagit and J1 Ruffles)
1. K44 Ripple, 2011, lived for 10-11 years (L78 Gaia)
2. Miscarriage, 2016
In 2016, Deadhead was photographed pushing a small, grey-white fetus (a little longer than her head) to the surface with her son by her side. She is now 30 years old and has only had one viable pregnancy.
K28 Raven 1994-2006 (daughter of K12 Sequim)
1. K39 Corvus 2006, lived for a few months
K28 grew very thin after giving birth, and died a month or so later, leaving her calf an orphan. Her sister Sekiu tried to raise both Corvus and her own newborn calf Vega, but both calves died during the fall and early winter.
L-pod
L43 Jellyroll ~1972-2006 (daughter of L37 Kimo)
1. L72 Racer, 1986-alive
2. L95 Nigel, 1996, lived for 20 years (L41 Mega)
3. L104 Domino, 2004, lived for 2.5 years
L47 Marina 1974-2021 (daughter of L21 Ankh)
1. L83 Moonlight, 1990-alive
2. L91 Muncher, 1995-alive
3. L99 Gamma, 2000, lived for <1 year
4. L102 Kappa, 2002, lived for 1 year
5. L107 Lamda, 2005, lived for ~1 month
6. L111 Testudo, 2008, lived for days or weeks
7. L115 Mystic, 2010-alive
Marina was one of the most prolific breeding females, but had four of her seven calves die in infancy.
L53 Lulu 1977-2014 (daughter of L7 Canuck)
During her entire life of 37 years, she was never known to have given birth.
L54 Ino 1977-alive (daughter of L35 Victoria)
1. L100 Indigo, 2001, lived for 13 years (L41 Mega)
2. L108 Coho, 2006-alive (J1 Ruffles)
3. L117 Keta, 2010-alive (L41 Mega)
Ino is unusual in having her first calf born at age 24, while the average age is ~13.
L51 Nootka 1973-1999 (daughter of L3 Oriana)
1. L84 Nyssa, 1990, lived for 29 years
2. L97 Tweak, 1999, lived for ~6 months
Nootka died after suffering a prolapsed uterus and subsequent infection, which caused Tweak to starve to death.
L55 Nugget 1977-alive (daughter of L4 Sonar)
1. L82 Kasatka, 1990-alive
2. L96 Bernardo, 1996, lived for 1 year
3. L103 Lapis, 2003-alive (J1 Ruffles)
4. L109 Takoda, 2007-alive (J1 Ruffles)
5. L118 Jade, 2011-alive
L60 Rascal ~1972-2002 (daughter of L26 Baba)
1. L81 Raina, 1990, lived for 7 years
2. L92 Crewser, 1995, lived for 22 years
L67 Splash 1985-2008 (daughter of L2 Grace)
1. L98 Luna, 1999, lived for 6.5 years
2. L101 Aurora, 2002, lived for 5.5 years
L72 Racer 1986-alive (daughter of L43 Jellyroll)
1. L105 Fluke, 2004-alive (L57 Faith)
2. "Okab", 2010, stillborn or died immediately after birth
3. Stillbirth or miscarriage, 2020
Now 38 years old and approaching the end of her reproductive life, Racer has only had one viable calf and three known pregnancies.
L77 Matia 1987-alive (daughter of L11 Squirty)
1. L114 Capella, 2010, lived for 4 months
2. L119 Joy, 2012-alive (L78 Gaia)
3. L124 Whistle, 2019-alive
Like Ino, Matia became a mother at an unusually late age, at 23. At ten years later than the average, this could mean late maturation, difficulty getting pregnant, or repeat miscarriages.
L82 Kasatka 1990-alive (daughter of L55 Nugget)
1. L116 Finn, 2010-alive (L41 Mega)
Kasatka had her first and only calf at 20, and has not given birth again.
L83 Moonlight 1990-alive (daughter of L47 Marina)
1. L110 Midnight, 2007 alive
Moonlight gave birth at the near-average age of 17, then never again,
in the 17 years since.
L86 Surprise 1991-alive (daughter of L4 Sonar)
1. L106 Pooka, 2005-alive (L41 Mega)
2. L112 Sooke, 2008, lived for 3 years (L41 Mega)
3. L120 Altair, 2014, lived for <1 month
4. L125 Element, 2022-alive
L90 Ballena 1993-alive (daughter of L26 Baba)
Ballena is currently 31 years old, and has never been known to have been pregnant.
L91 Muncher 1995-alive (daughter of L47 Marina)
1. L122 Magic, 2015-alive
L94 Calypso 1995-alive (daughter of L11 Squirty)
1. L113 Cousteau, 2009-alive
2. L121 Windsong, 2015-alive
3. L127 Scuba, 2023-alive
L103 Lapis 2003-alive (daughter of L55 Nugget and J1 Ruffles)
1. L123 Lazuli, 2015-alive
L119 Joy 2012-alive (daughter of L77 Matia and L78 Gaia)
1. L126 Ken, 2023-alive
Polaris and Star, by Miles Ritter
Tahlequah and Notch, by Miles Ritter
Hy'Shqa with newborn T'ilem I'nges and grandmother Samish in the background. Photograph by Miles Ritter, edit by me.
Deadhead with Ripple, by Miles Ritter
Racer with Fluke. Photo by Miles Ritter, edit by me.
Matia with Joy, by Andrew Reding
Breeding females of the Northern residents
The first deaths in the Northern community were recorded in 1973, so as with the Southern residents, any births before the early 70s are pure guesswork, which is why we will only use breeding females born from this time and onwards.
A28 Havannah 1974-2012 (daughter of A8 Licka)
Havannah died at the age of 38, and was never known to have been pregnant.
A35 Skagit 1974-alive (daughter of A11 Yakat)
1. A52 Kiltik, 1987-alive
2. A59 Racey, 1992-2005
3. A70 Sunny, 1999-alive
4. A77 Roller, 2003-alive
5. A90 Pine, 2008-alive
6. A117 Blyth, 2017-alive
Skagit is one of the most successful breeding females of the Northern residents, having had six calves that all survived infancy (and aside from Blyth who is still a calf, all survived to adulthood).
A34 Simoom 1974-alive (daughter of A12 Scimitar)
1. A55 Echo, 1989-alive
2. A62 Misty, 1993-alive (W2 Glenville)
3. A67 Eclipse, 1996-alive
4. A74 Stormy, 2000-2006
5. A80 Hope, 2004-alive
6. A96 Rainy, 2010-alive
A42 Sonora 1980-alive (daughter of A8 Licka)
1. A57 Kelkpa, 1991-1996
2. A66 Surf, 1996-alive
3. A79 Current, 2004-alive
4. A88 Cameleon, 2008-alive
5. A103 Albion, 2013-alive
6. A114 Ashlar, 2017-alive
A43 Ripple 1981-alive (daughter of A23 Stripe)
1. A63, 1994, lived for <2 months
2. A69 Midsummer, 1996-alive
Ripple is now well over 40 years old, and only had two calves in her entire life, only one of which was viable.
A45 Sutlej 1983-2001 (daughter of A24 Kelsey and A6 Strider)
1. A68, 1997, lived for months
2. A73 Springer, 2000-alive
G27 1973-2018 (daughter of G12)
1. G41, 1987-2019
2. G58, 1996-alive
3. G64, 2000-alive
4. G76, 2005-alive
5. G100, 2012-alive