Orcinusorca: A1 pod - A30 matriline

The first free orca we came to know as an individual was an adult female with a distinct notch at the top of her dorsal fin. We called her "Nicola". Later she was given the identity "A2" but everyone used her name. Nicola's constant companion in those early days was a huge male called "Wavy" after his fin. Wavy was probably Nicola's son. When Nicola died in 1987 her daughter Tsitika, A30, was 40 years old and had three adult sons and a young daughter with her. The "A2s" became the "A30s". The family is always easy to recognize, partly because the huge males' dorsal fins wave from side to side when they surface. Tsitika's oldest son, Strider, was a favorite of whale watchers because of a distinctive notch in his dorsal fin. Sadly, he died in 1999. For many years the family has remained in the "core area" almost all summer. Tsitika's daughter Clio, A50, is now beginning to raise her own family. Her first baby, Bend (A72) is named after an unusual tilt to the dorsal fin as well as a nearby island. In 2005 she had her second calf A84, Klaoitsis. A54 Blinkhorn also started her own family. She had her first calf in 2001, designated A75 Cedar and another one in 2006 designated A86. In 2009 A54 had her third calf with ID A94
Source: Orcalab

The matriline was present in over 60% of all of the encounters in the Johnstone strait region, making it one of best known matrilines. The group's size has increased, from 6 in the mid-1970s to 9 as of 2007, including 4 calves. It is extremely frequent in Johnstone Strait from late spring to early fall and during summer, it frequently travels with other pods of the northern resident community.
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Discrete calls

Call type N47 is specific to the A1 pod and therein almost exclusively produced by the A30 matriline.

The repertoire of the A1 pod consists of the following 14 discrete calls:
N1i, N2, N3, N4, N5i, N7i, N7ii, N8i, N9i, N10, N11i, N12, N27 and N47

The calls N1i, N9i, N27 and N47 are exclusive for A1 pod. The other 10 calls are shared with at least the A4s and A5s.

The calls N2, N4, N7i and N10 are also made by the A4s and A5s.
The calls N3 and N12 are made by all the A clan groups.
The call N5i are also made by the A4s, A5s, Bs, Hs and I1s
The call N7ii are also made by the A4s, A5s and I1s
The cal N8i are also made by the A4s, A5s and Hs
The call N11i are also made by the A4s, A5s and Bs

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A30s in the Johnstone Strait 2005

Blackney (A38)

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A2 Nicola F:1927-1987

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A30 Tsitika F:1947

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A3 Wavy M:<1952-1979

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A6 Strider M:1964-1999

Strider (A6) was the father of A45.

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A38 Blackney M:1970

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A39 Pointer M:1975

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A50 Clio F:1984

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A54 Blinkhorn F:1989

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A72 Bend F:1999

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A75 Cedar ?:2001

Cedar was born on September 6th 2001. (Source Orcalab)

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A84 Klaoitsis ?:2005