Tahlequah (orca)

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Tahlequah (orca)

Tahlequah, also known as J35, is a female orca in the Southern Resident killer whale group living in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. She was born around 1998 and belongs to the J pod.

Offspring:
- J47 Notch (male), born in 2010. Notch is alive.
- Tali (female), born July 2018 near Victoria, British Columbia. Tali died shortly after birth. Tahlequah carried her dead calf for 17 days, guiding the calf around the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea. This grieving display drew worldwide attention and raised concerns about the health of the Southern Residents, in part due to fewer Chinook salmon and pollution.
- J57 (Phoenix), a male calf born September 5, 2020 near the San Juan Islands. Phoenix’s status is noted in later reports.
- J61 (female), born December 2024 but died shortly after birth. Tahlequah carried J61’s body for many days, including about 11 days in January 2025, before she released the calf.

Tahlequah’s name was given by The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington, as part of their Adopt-a-Whale program. One adopter was Malia Obama, daughter of former President Barack Obama.

Her story helped draw attention to the challenges facing Southern Resident orcas and the importance of protecting their habitat and food sources, including salmon.