Wildlife Adventures, North East Vancouver Island

06/16/2026

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to our weekly engagement list! 🎉 Rose Vasquez Punzalan, Abbie Ni Aisah, Richard Rush, سيفو كوكو سينا ميدو, Azran Kuelin, Biplob Hembrom, Rhonda Collins, Никита Викторович, Eva Soeldenwagner, BV Boyce, Abel Cardoso, Matt Belle, Hasan Torabi, Sandip Sangatsaheb, จอนนี่ ตุนี ไผ่โลด, Rodel Abalos, Subrata Sardar, Ferenc Bruzsa, Angelita Huismans, Wilbert Pañares, Abdul Majid, Vikas Sonker, Yekaterina Shin, Syarif Romansyah, Raseltn Raseltn, Blair Leckie, Loraine Vicente, Richard Hernández, احمد طلعت, Uschi Pike, Christine Warrington, Stephanie Taylor, Mehlbon Lee, Shaikh Zameer, Krzysztof Baumgart, Rasel Rasel, Cruz Metz, Mair Graham, Brenda Stenseth, Ranee Thakur, ชาคริต ทับทอง, Zoltan Gal, Cynthia Sayer, Ниолай Бычков, Cecilia Delaire, Sahabuddin Ahmed, Jayve Vargas, Faruk Mia, Tracey Fisher, Junaid Bhatti

06/16/2026

Lunge feeding Humpback Whale 2023

06/16/2026

The Northern Resident Orcas passing our Kayaking Base camp on the Johnstone Strait in 2023

06/15/2026

Two Humpback Whales feeding in a bait ball in 2023



Humpback Whales North East Vancouver Island

06/15/2026

Two large Northern Resident males bringing up the rear of this mixed pod in 2023

06/15/2026

What do you think? and why..
We think it should stay the same.

In their 2024 paper advocating the splitting of resident and transient killer whales into two species, Morin et al. noted that they were consulting with North American Indigenous tribal groups to develop a new common name for the resident killer whale. Although the proposal to elevate them to species did not come to pass, the paper still raised an important question: is “resident” the best common name for the killer whale subspecies we know scientifically as Orcinus orca ater?

Fish-eating killer whales found in coastal areas of the North Pacific were originally dubbed “residents” in the 1970s, when biologists in British Columbia noticed differences among the whales that passed through their study area. Some frequented particular areas year after year in pursuit of salmon; these whales were called “residents,” in contrast to the mammal-eating killer whales that appeared infrequently and at random, which came to be known as “transients.”

Over time, however, the label “resident” has caused confusion. Killer whales often have wide ranges, and as prey resources change, populations may shift their distributions—it is widely accepted that transient killer whales are now more “resident” in the Salish Sea than the southern resident killer whales are! And because modern killer whale science originated with resident and transient killer whales, there is a temptation for some to use the term “resident” for any fish-eating population, regardless of whether or not they are actually Orcinus orca ater. It also makes describing the habits of non-resident killer whales a bit tricky—a population may be “resident” to a specific region, but not be “resident” killer whales at all.

Still, changing a common name may come with its own challenges. Common names like “southern resident” are used in law and policy. Changing a common name would also mark a break in continuity in both scientific and popular culture. Nevertheless, it has been done before: transient killer whales are now known more widely as “Bigg’s killer whales,” after the late Dr. Michael Bigg.

What do you think? What would be a better common name for “resident” killer whale? 🫍

06/13/2026

A lovely video clip of the Northern Resident Orcas with a new calf in 2018.

06/12/2026

A special "OMG" moment with the A24, A25 and A34 Northern Resident Orcas in 2018.
Please keep watching to see a sensational Orca Spyhop

06/12/2026

A "Resting Line" of Northern Resident Orcas.
Filmed on The Johnstone Strait in 2018

06/12/2026

A very interesting read