A46 Kaikash

## Kaikash

A46 "Kaikash," Sep 2009, in Johnstone Straight, BC, Canada. Photo provided by Alison Brown via Flickr.

## Family

### Nieces & Nephews

I42 "Skuna"

A46 "Kaikash" was a 34-year-old male Northern Resident killer whale.

## Early life

A46 "Kaikash" was born to A36 "Sophia" in 1982. He was her third confirmed calf, and fourth overall with A32 "Cracroft" being her assumed eldest son. Kaikash was the last born into the A1 matriline, and at the time of his birth his family consisted of his mother, his uncle A20 "Hardy," and older brothers, A32 "Cracroft" and A37 "Plumper". Kaikash also had a sister, A44, however she was presumed deceased by 1975.

He was potentially named after Kaikash Creek located in Johnstone Strait, BC Canada.

## Three Brothers

By the 1990s, it was suspected that Kaikash's mother, A36 "Sophia", had reached the end of her reproductive cycle as she had not been sighted with any new calves in some time. It was around this time, researchers knew that the A1 matriline would die out as they only consisted of Plumper, his brothers, and his mother. In 1997, Sophia was declared deceased, leaving the three brothers to travel by themselves.

In 2009, the three brothers, as they were often referred to, were joined by A12 "Scimitar." The adult female was from the A12s, but after the death of her last son, A33 "Nimpkish" she was reported to travel more frequently with Plumper and his siblings. In 2010, Kaikash lost his older brother Cracroft and then in 2012 Scimitar was reported deceased. These deaths left Plumper and Kaikash as the remaining brothers who would often travel with other members of the A1 Pod and sometimes other Northern Residents.

In July 2013, Plumper and Kaikash were sighted with the former notably far behind. In subsequent encounters this became a trend especially when the two brothers were seen the following year in a similar fashion. In a 2014 August encounter, Plumper was noted to be visibally unwell as he and his brother entered Blackney Pass. Photos of the encounter show A37 with a leaning dorsal fin, peanut head, and with eyewitness reports of him struggling against the current to surface. Plumper was last sighted on August 21 2014, and was declared missing. He was not listed in the 2015 ID catalogue subsequently declaring him deceased. His death left Kaikash as the sole survivor of the A1 matriline and remained travelling with the A34s in his brother's absence.

## Death

In 2017 encounters, Kaikash was absent and subsequently declared missing. He was soon declared deceased, with records stating his death potentially occurred in 2016 at 34 years of age.

## References

1. ↑ Michael A. Bigg et al., "Social Organization and Genealogy of Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in the Coastal Waters of British Columbia and Washington State", in Rep. Int. Whal. Commn. (Special Issue 12), ed. Phillip S. Hammond, Sally A. Mizroch, and Gregory P. Donovan (Cambridge, UK: IWC, 1990), 383-405.
2. ↑ Ford, J. K. B., Ellis, G. M., & Balcomb, K. C. (2000). Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia and Washington State (Updated Edition) (Updated 2nd ed.). Univ of Washington Pr.
3. ↑ Killer Whales of B.C. (2014, August 22). A new picture of Plumper A37. . .. from Nick Templeman [Facebook post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/NorthernResidents/photos/a.717212055007146/746295482098803/
4. ↑ Photo-identification catalogue and status of the northern resident killer whale population in 2014 / by J.R. Towers, G.M. Ellis, and J.K.B. Ford, Pacific Region, Science Branch
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Northern Resident Orca Population. (2019, July 29). A36s died out. . . [Facebook post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/nrkwtracking/posts/a36s-died-outthe-6-feet-tall-fins-of-the-three-brothers-sliced-through-the-water/1394198290731255/