Multiple unique orcas including a white one spotted in Puget Sound

Washington is lucky to be one of the few states where you can have an encounter with an orca whale. And this past weekend the whales were certainly out. In fact, multiple unique-looking whales were spotted much to the joy of local whale enthusiasts.

Four different pods of Bigg’s killer whales aka orca whales were spotted in the Salish Sea over Easter weekend. Among those whales was a celebrity whale named Chainsaw. He got his name due to the large notches in the top of his fin which make him look like a saw blade. But perhaps the most unique whale spotted was Tl’uk.

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Tl’uk translates to “moon” in the language of the Indigenous Coast Salish people. And that’s definitely a fitting name for this whale. Because he’s partially white! Instead of having the distinct black and white markings of his peers, he mostly greyish white making him stand out. So if you’ll be spending time on the islands be sure to keep your eyes peeled.

Now while this is exciting news the Bigg’s killer whale population is small. We’re talking 349 whales in 2018. So if you happen to encounter them in the wild be sure to keep your distance and of course be respectful. Not to mention, this is a great reminder to educate yourself about some of our state’s more endangered species. If you’d like to learn more about these rare sightings you can click here.JTNDZGl2JTIwaWQlM0QlMjJtb2JpbGUtYWQtb25seSUyMiUzRSUwQSUzQyUyMS0tJTIwU2VhdHRsZSUyMC0lMjBNb2JpbGUlMjAtLSUzRSUwQSUzQ2lucyUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyYWRzYnlnb29nbGUlMjIlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlMjBzdHlsZSUzRCUyMmRpc3BsYXklM0FibG9jayUzQndpZHRoJTNBMzIwcHglM0JoZWlnaHQlM0E1MHB4JTNCJTIyJTBBJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwZGF0YS1hZC1jbGllbnQlM0QlMjJjYS1wdWItNTUyMTg1Njk1NTQ5NzQ1NiUyMiUwQSUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMGRhdGEtYWQtc2xvdCUzRCUyMjE2MjcxNzI5NDclMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZpbnMlM0UlMEElM0MlMkZkaXYlM0U=