...this is a re-post from prior years...
...many people have asked, "how do you tell the difference between an SRKW (Southern Resident Killer Whale) and a Transient?"
...one of the people who asked this question and who caused me to get a bit creative is a gentleman who lives on a nearby island and has had, in the last few years, many killer whales pass by where he lives...
..he had come into the lighthouse and was asking questions and taking notes on what to look for and he was using post-its...so I called him Mr. Post-Its - (I'm terrible at remembering names, that is unless it's an orca's name.)
...well, Mr. Post-Its told me that when he was younger he wanted to be a marine biologist but his life took a different turn and added that it has been all good...so, I suggested that now was his time to use some of his training from years ago and be that marine biologist, right from his front window...
...so for Mr. Post-Its and anyone wanting to see some of the differences, here's a general comparison sheet to help you get started...or as a refresher...
...and now here are some practice whales for you...
...these are only a sampling...but might give you an idea of some of the general differences you might see...
...the answers...you'll figure them out...sometimes you have to look for those 'tiny things' that will reveal - Transient or Resident?
Some have asked for the answers:
# 1 R
# 2 T
# 3 R
# 4 T
# 5 T
# 6 R
# 7 T
# 8 R
# 9 R
#10 R
#11 T
...fun stuff!
Added: Below are Southern Residents. Some individuals have a kink or twist to their dorsal fin that can sometimes help in identification or add confusion as to who one is looking at.
How their fin tip looks from one side is the opposite of how the fin tip looks from the other side. One of the 7 images in the set is going the opposite direction as the others.
A few examples:
Some can look very different depending on the angle.
Each orca is an individual, not only in their dorsal fin shape, saddle patch markings, eye patch markings, nicks/notches or scratches, they are each individual in their personalities.
...many people have asked, "how do you tell the difference between an SRKW (Southern Resident Killer Whale) and a Transient?"
...one of the people who asked this question and who caused me to get a bit creative is a gentleman who lives on a nearby island and has had, in the last few years, many killer whales pass by where he lives...
..he had come into the lighthouse and was asking questions and taking notes on what to look for and he was using post-its...so I called him Mr. Post-Its - (I'm terrible at remembering names, that is unless it's an orca's name.)
...well, Mr. Post-Its told me that when he was younger he wanted to be a marine biologist but his life took a different turn and added that it has been all good...so, I suggested that now was his time to use some of his training from years ago and be that marine biologist, right from his front window...
...so for Mr. Post-Its and anyone wanting to see some of the differences, here's a general comparison sheet to help you get started...or as a refresher...
...these are only a sampling...but might give you an idea of some of the general differences you might see...
...the answers...you'll figure them out...sometimes you have to look for those 'tiny things' that will reveal - Transient or Resident?
Some have asked for the answers:
# 1 R
# 2 T
# 3 R
# 4 T
# 5 T
# 6 R
# 7 T
# 8 R
# 9 R
#10 R
#11 T
...fun stuff!
Added: Below are Southern Residents. Some individuals have a kink or twist to their dorsal fin that can sometimes help in identification or add confusion as to who one is looking at.
How their fin tip looks from one side is the opposite of how the fin tip looks from the other side. One of the 7 images in the set is going the opposite direction as the others.
A few examples:
2 comments:
Thank you, Jeanne. Very helpful, but I wish I had the answers to check my "guesses".
Jan
Thanks for asking!...posted the answers :)
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