Sounds Of The Salish Sea
Explore common sounds of the Salish Sea by selecting the animals and other objects in this panoramic soundscape of the inland waters of Washington State (USA) and British Columbia (Canada)
3 Common Calls
Conveniently, a few calls are used almost exclusively by each Southern Resident Killer Whale pod. This means that by memorizing just 3 calls, you can tell with great certainty that you are hearing a particular pod!
J Pod's Favorite Call: S01
J pod is the most local of the pods, commonly visiting Seattle about once a month throughout the year, and is famous for J2/Granny who may have been the oldest female orca living to be about 100 years old.
K Pod's Favorite Call: S16
K pod is the smallest pod with less than ~20 members since an annual census began in the 1970s, but they have the cutest call which most listeners think sounds like a kitten mewing.
L Pod's Favorite Call: S19
L pod travels the furthest each year, often foraging as far south as San Francisco in wintertime, and is the largest pod with more than 30 members now (and almost 60 in 1993).
To learn about different pods, please visit the Orcasound YouTube channel.
Southern Resident Killer Whale Call Catalog
Now that you've familiarized yourself with the 3 most common calls, dive in to the call catalog to learn the vocalizations you will hear when listening to the livestreaming hydrophones during orca events.
Exhibits
For another tour of the sounds that are most commonly heard in the Salish Sea, visit the listening station at the Seattle Aquarium and click on "More recordings."
For a challenge beyond the three favorite calls of the SRKWs, learn a bunch more of the calls made by the southern resident killer whales (developed by educators at NOAA, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, and Killer Whale Tales).
