Photo Credit: Garry Henkel
Current Matriarch: C8 Lama
Number of Individuals: 18 (7 living- 1 female, 5 male, 1 unknown gender; 11 deceased- 4 female, 5 male, 2 unknown gender)
C4 (Female; ~1935-1982 (~47))
Presumed sister of C3 and C7
C1 (Male; ~1952-1980 (~28))
C6 Ivory (Female; ~1960-2013 (~53))
C8 Lama (Female; 1975)
Daughter of R6
C16 Kisameet (Male; 1989)
Named after Kisameet Bay or Kisameet Islands, which are named after the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) village K̓sṃ̓íƛ (Kisameet) in the Haíɫzaqvḷa language
C19 Virago (Female; 1991-2014 (23))
C31 Naden (Unknown; 2009)
C21 Quadra (Female; 1994-2006 (12))
On July 18, 2006, C27 was found floating near Prince Rupert, BC. She was towed to a DFO facility in Prince Rupert where necropsy found that the cause of death was likely blunt force trauma caused by a vessel strike
C27 Spicer (Male; 2006)
C22 Diver (Male; 1997)
C25 Ta-aack (Unknown; 2004-2007 (3))
C34 Napier (Male; 2013)
C9 Weynton (Male; 1972-2000 (28))
Lost the top of his fin in 1993 from either another whale or a gun shot
C12 (Unknown; 1979-1986 (7))
C14 Hunter (Male; 1985)
Son of I32
C18 Squally (Male; 1991-2019 (29))
C3 Booker (Male; ~1952-1997 (~45))
Presumed brother of C7 and C4. Father of I13
C7 (Male; ~1952-1984 (~32))
Presumed brother of C3 and C4
Photo Credit: Image from a postcard, unsure who the original photographer is
C3 Booker
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C9 Weynton
Photo Credit: Steph Kort
C14 Hunter
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C6 Ivory
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C12
Photo Credit: Friends of the Wild Side
C18 Squally
Photo Credit: Steph Kort
C8 Lama
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C16 Kisameet
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C19 Virago
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C31 Naden
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C21 Quadra
Photo Credit: Steph Kort
C27 Spicer
Photo Credit: Steph Kort
C22 Diver
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C25 Ta-aack
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C34 Napier
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C5 Kwatna
Photo Credit: Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State
C2
Photo Credit: Namu- Quest for the Killer Whale
C11 Namu
Photo Credit: Inherently Wild
C15 Juliet
Photo Credit: Mackay Whale Watching
C10 Koeye
Current Matriarch: C10 Koeye, C13 Fifer (Matrilines considered seperate despite family ties)
Number of Individuals: 21 (13 living- 5 female, 1 male, 8 unknown gender; 8 deceased- 1 female, 5 male, 2 unknown gender)
C5 Kwatna (Female; ~1927-1995 (~68))
Named after Kwatna Bay or Kwatna Inlet, which are named after the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) village Q̓váɫṇ̓a (Kwatna) in the Haíɫzaqvḷa language
C11 Namu (Male; ~1946-1966 (~20))
On June 23, 1965, C11 and C15 got trapped in a fisherman's salmon gill net in Warrior Cove, Namu, BC. C11 managed to escape, but C15 refused to follow, so C11 re-entered the net to stay with them. Two days later, C11 remained in the net, but C15 was no longer present, so C11 was eventually sold to Ted Griffin. C11 was the star attraction at the Seattle Aquarium until his death in 1966. On July 9, 1966, C11 died from an infection and drowning at the age of 20 after 1 year in captivity. He was 7.31m (24ft) long and weighed 7,926lbs. His skeleton now resides at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Washington State. Named after Namu BC, which is named after the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) village Nám̓u (Namu) in the Haíɫzaqvḷa language, meaning "place of high winds" and
"closely alongside"
C2 (Male; ~1958-1986 (~28))
C15 Juliet (Unknown; ~1964-1965 (~1))
On June 23, 1965, C11 and C15 got trapped in a fisherman's salmon gill net in Warrior Cove, Namu, BC. C11 managed to escape, but C15 refused to follow, so C11 re-entered the net to stay with them. Two days later, C11 remained in the net, but C15 was no longer present, presumably having escaped.
C10 Koeye (Kway) (Female; ~1972)
Named after the Koeye river, which is named after the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) village K̓vi'aí (Koeye) in the Haíɫzaqvḷa language, possibly meaning "bird sitting on the water" or "sitting on the water"
C13 Fifer (Female; 1985)
C13 and her offspring don't always travel with the rest of the C10s
C24 Kestrel (Male; 2000-2018 (18))
C28 Kelpie (Male; 2007)
C32 Kipling (Unknown; 2013-2021 (8))
C36 Klaquaek (Unknown; 2019)
Named after Klaquaek Channel. Klaquaek was the nickname given to Katherine Darby (daughter of Methodist medical missionary Dr. George Darby) by the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) First Nation
C17 Cosmos (Male; 1989-2009 (20))
C20 Gikumi (Male; 1993-2008 (15))
Named after Gikumi Point, which was named after the Kwak̓wala word "gig̱a̱me'", meaning "chief"
C23 Fin (Female; 1998)
C29 Blackfly (Unknown; 2009)
C35 Petrel (Unknown; 2015)
C37 Swirl (Male; 2020)
C39 (Unknown; 2024)
C26 Naysash (Female; 2004)
C33 Finnis (Female; 2014)
C30 Sweeper (Female; 2009)
C38 (Unknown; 2021)
Photo Credit: Northern resident killer whales in British Columbia. Photo-identification catalogue 2007
C17 Cosmos
Photo Credit: Northern resident killer whales in British Columbia. Photo-identification catalogue 2007
C20 Gikumi
Photo Credit: Whale Point
C13 Fifer
Photo Credit: Mackay Whale Watching
C24 Kestrel
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C28 Kelpie
Photo Credit: Photo-identification Catalogue and Status of the Northern Resident Killer Whale Population in 2019
C32 Kipling
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C36 Klaquaek
Photo Credit: Whale Point
C23 Fin
Photo Credit: Jane Wilson
C29 Blackfly
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C35 Petrel
Photo Credit:Bay Cetology
C37 Swirl
Photo Credit: Photo-identification Catalogue and Status of the Northern Resident Killer Whale Population in 2019
C26 Naysash
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C33 Finis
Photo Credit: Bay Cetology
C30 Sweeper