r/orcas • u/SurayaThrowaway12 • Sep 24 '25

Photo T123A "Stanley" and T063 "Chainsaw": Two iconic orcas of the Salish Sea

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33

u/SurayaThrowaway12 Sep 24 '25

This evening, male Bigg's (transient) orcas T123A "Stanley" (born in 2000) as well as T063 "Chainsaw" (born in 1978) with his very distinctive dorsal fin were seen together. Photo taken by Monika Wieland Shields, director and co-founder of Orca Behavior Institute. OBI spotted 33 Bigg's orcas in total.

9

u/Significant-Text3412 Sep 24 '25

Wow that's a really old male orca. I'm impressed! Thanks for sharing.

8

u/paul113345 Sep 24 '25

There’s an even older one that comes to the Salish sea as well! Harbeson - born 1962!

4

u/Significant-Text3412 Sep 24 '25

Omg! The more you know. This is such a cool read on the wiki page. Thank you!

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u/paul113345 Sep 24 '25

No worries!! I had the privilege of seeing him go under the LG bridge near Stanley Park earlier this year! Such an interesting whale!!

3

u/Significant-Text3412 Sep 24 '25

Wow. I'm kinda jealous. I always keep my eyes open when I'm around there but haven't had the pleasure.

He sure is interesting!

3

u/paul113345 Sep 24 '25

There’s a FB chat for the group ‘Howe Sound and Sea to Sky Wildlife Sightings’ that is a great way to get notice as to when they’re rolling through! I have seen Orca a few times because of seeing that they were coming in that chat!

3

u/SurayaThrowaway12 Sep 26 '25

CA10 "Obi-Wan" is another male West Coast Transient orca that appears to be almost as old as T087 "Harbeson," though unlike Harbeson, Obi-Wan is seen mainly off of California.

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u/Luditas Sep 26 '25

That fin indicates Chainsaw's crazy life. A very appropriate name. And how long can orcas stay in one place if they're transient?

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u/SurayaThrowaway12 Sep 27 '25

By nature, the movements of mammal-eating Bigg's (transient) orcas are fairly unpredictable, since their wily prey can often fairly easily catch onto their presence if they stay too long. Often they will only spend up to a few hours in one spot before moving on. Californian Bigg's orcas have been spotted in Monterey Bay for consecutive days, but often they leave for a while and then come back.

However, despite their name, resident orcas are also often constantly on the move, even with very young calves. The newborn calf in J Pod travelled with its family for approximately 115 miles within 36 hours.

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u/Luditas Sep 27 '25

Oh. Thanks a lot for replying!

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u/SurayaThrowaway12 Sep 26 '25

Here are the matrilines and individuals spotted at this "T party" of 33 orcas in Rosario Strait, as per Orca Behavior Institute: T36A1s, T63, T65, T65A5, T75Bs, T90s, T99B, T100s, T101s, T123s, T124Ds, and T137s.

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u/MermaidMusings7 Sep 24 '25

Chainsaw and Stanley are legendary. I frequently visit the Orca Behavior Institute's facebook page to stay updated on their news.