The Whale Museum News

It is time to name the babies! J-42, L-109, and L-110 will each receive names. Each year The Whale Museum gives names to calves of the Southern Resident Community who have survived a full winter.

Over the years there have been many different ways in which the Southern Resident orcas have been named through The Whale Museum. Recently the Name the Baby Contest has been very popular. Members of The Museum may suggest names for the ballot.

Of the names suggested, based on certain criteria, four names are selected, and then placed on the ballot.

This year you can vote for your favorite name during the month of August in the Exhibit Hall at The Whale Museum (located inFriday Harbor), in the Family Orca Center at the Seattle Aquarium or right here on our website.

Members of The Whale Museum receive free admission to the Exhibit Hall every day (and permanent local residents receive free admission to the Exhibit Hall every Thursday), so come and cast your vote!

The blue boxes below contain the name choices for each orca calf -- check them out and vote!

Baby Orca #1: J-42 (female)

The fourth known calf of Slick (J-16) and sibling to Mike (J-26), Keet (J-33), and Alki (J-36). J-42 was first seen in Haro Strait in early May, 2007.

The name possibilities for J-42 are:

Echo - which is short for echolocation; this is what the whales use to navigate and forage
Talula - it means ‘leaping water’ in North American Indian
Kydaka - Kydaka Point is located on a Washington Inlet
Kioko - means ‘child born with happiness’ in Japanese

Baby Orca #2: L-109 (sex unknown)

The fourth known calf of Nugget (L-55) and sibling to Kasatka (L-82) and Lapis (L-103). L-109 was first seen in March, 2007 near Monterey, California.

The name possibilities for L-109 are:

Beaumont - stands for Beaumont Shoal where the whales pass as they come in from the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Sooke - Community on Vancouver Island named for the T’sou-ke people
Takoda - means ‘friend to everyone’ in Sioux Indian (pronounced tuh-koh-duh)
Tehya - means ‘precious’ in Native American

Baby Orca #3: L-110 (male)

The first known calf of Moonlight (L-83). While this calf does not have any siblings yest, he does have an aunt named Muncher (L-91) and grandmother named Marina (L-47). L-110 was first seen in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in August, 2007.

The name possibilities for L-110 are:

Magic - for the mystique and magic the whales bring to all of us
Marley - after Bob Marley whose music message was about unity and bringing people together which is what the whales do: bring people together from all over the world
Meteor - a meteor shower can take your breath away, just like the whales are breathtaking to see
Midnight - the darkness makes it difficult to see, just as it can be difficult to locate and see the whales

The new calf names will be announced in mid-September.

After a calf receives a name, it is entered into the Orca Adoption Program and is available to be symbolically adopted. It is only through an understanding of the orcas' needs for a healthy habitat and plentiful food resources that we can develop the conservation policies which will ensure their survival. The Whale Museum is committed to providing a variety of education programs to share information on how we all can help. Orca Adoptions help support this mission. Adopt-an-Orca today! Click on Meet the Whales to select the whale you want to symbolically adopt.

Cast Your Vote to Name Three Orca Calves!

by Jeanne Hyde, Orca Adoption Program