August 15th - T-party time!

On the 15th we were treated to some T-party time! We don’t get T-parties too often, so it’s always a special treat when we do get to witness them.
T-parties are when multiple transient orca pods come together for social or hunting-related activities. Today seemed to be a mix of both. In between hunting they was plenty of social behaviour between the various pods.

T0002Cs

Tasu
Rocky
Lucy
Kano

T036s

Flapjack
Tattertip
Bhotia
Greenfelder
Chip

T037As

Volker
Inky
Spinnaker
Crinkle
T037A5

T099s

Bella
Holly
Barakat
Puck
T099E

T137s

Loon
Jack
Tempest
Wright

Parties like this one can be short, lasting only a few hours, or days long, as the whales travel. Orca are incredibly social animals, even within their own families are often barrel rolling over, ad rubbing against, one another.
The events are a great way for the whales to exchange information, meet new calves that have been born since their last visit, and socialize with friends outside of their family. These events are also very important opportunities for the males in the pods. Orca do not have specific breeding seasons and, in the transient community, they do not breed within their family pods. During these T-parties males will often show off to the ladies and if they are lucky, they’ll get the chance to pass on their genes!

Along with your gathering of Orca we also saw plenty of other wildlife today.
Take a look at all the best photos from the tours taken by marine naturalists Ay Kohlman, Carman Murphy, and Vanessa Vereschahen.

26-year-old Tattertip leading 2 family members - likely daughter Bhotia and son Chip. Photo by Aly Kolhman 10:30

T002C1 Rocky, followed by youngest sibling T002C5 and mom Tasu. Photo by Aly Kolhman 10:30

Someone decided to do a barrel roll in front of T137A Jack. Photo by Aly Kolhman 10:30

T137D Wright. Photo by Aly Kolhman 10:30

T002C1 Rocky with youngest sibling T002C5. Photo by Aly Kolhman 10:30

T099D Puck - He has a new notch on the tip of his fin and scars down his side. Time to update his photo ID! Photo by Aly Kolhman 10:30

T037A2 Inky. A 13-year-old male whose quite large alright. He’ll be a sight to see in 7 years when he is full grown! Photo by Aly Kolhman 10:30

T137A Jack. His distinct notches on his dorsal make him one of the easiest males to ID on the water! Photo by Carman Murphy 10:30

Ochre sea stars. Photo by Carman Murphy 10:30

T002C1 Rocky. Photo by Vanessa Vereschahen 10:30

Big old pec fins! Photo by Aly Kolhman 3:30

Partial family photo! Rocky and younger siblings Lucy and T002C5. Photo by Aly Kolhman 3:30

A family photo! The T002Cs. Mom Tasu in the front, followed closely by t002C5, T002C1 Rocky, and T002C3 Lucy. Photo by Aly Kolhman 3:30

Jilann LechnerAugust 15, 2022Comment