#MeetTheIberianOrca
Today we introduce Lamari (IB23 / A-005).
Lamari is an adult female, born around 1992, and one of the important matriarchs of the Iberian orca population.
She is the mother of Estrella, one of the most interactive orcas, as well as Leah and Dante, who are also often seen interacting around boats.
Lamari had a new calf in 2025, which can be seen in the last image 🖤🤍
She is known as a very attentive mother, often staying close to her young and maintaining strong bonds within her family.
Lamari stands at the center of one of the most active family lines in this population 😃
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members soon :)
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
#Coexistence
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
X1 Freya y X2 Valkyria, ¿Quiénes son? 🩷💜
Pertenecen a un grupo muy esquivo de originalmente 7 orcas que fue detectado a principio de los años 2000 cerca de la costa de Barbate (Cádiz).
Gracias al estudio del cuerpo de un ejemplar del grupo aparecido en 2006, se descubrió que este grupo de orcas no se alimentaba principalmente de atún, sino de especies por debajo del Atún rojo (Thunnus thynnus) en la cadena alimenticia. (Estaban, 2016)
Además, el ejemplar estudiado era una hembra anciana que midió 7.5 metros, lo cual nos indica que incluso las hembras de este grupo pueden competir e incluso superar a los machos ibéricos! Lo cual ha llevado a la confusión de varios avistadores que están acostumbrados a las tallas típicas de las ibéricas.
Este grupo nunca fue avistado con otras orcas ibéricas ni de ningún otro origen, tampoco con crías.
El grupo se ha ido reduciendo hasta que en 2013 tuvo lugar el último avistamiento registrado de Freya y Valkyria junto a un tercer miembro de su grupo, desde entonces, solo se las ve a ellas dos juntas, más de una década formando un dúo muy especial.
Sus avistamientos son raros (pero cada vez más frecuentes gracias al desarrollo de turismo de observación de ballenas y del creciente interés por detectar orcas en la zona de la Península Ibérica)
Parecen avistarse a lo largo de la costa portuguesa entre abril y Junio, muy cerca de la costa.
Ya fueron avistadas 2 veces en las islas Scilly en Julio y Octubre de 2025, al sur de Reino Unido. Un hito muy importante que nos da más detalles de su misterioso comportamiento.
Son un ejemplo muy claro de lo importante que es la transmisión de cultura y enseñanza en las orcas, ya que al no tener contacto con las ibéricas, Freya y Valkyria tienen hábitos muy distintos a los que estamos acostumbrados a ver en las ibéricas (IB)
Gracias a los colaboradores de Mare Orcas, cada avistamiento que reportan es un nuevo registro en la base de datos que nos ayuda a entenderlas mejor
Português nos comentàrios
English in comments
#MeetTheIberianOrca
Today we introduce Leah (IB27 / A-015).
Leah is a young female, born around 2011, and one of Lamari’s offspring.
She is the sister of Estrella, the aunt of Atlas, and also the sister of Dante - part of one of the well-known family lines within this population.
Leah is known to interact with artisanal longline fisheries, a behaviour observed in several members of this population.
She bears several line-related scars, including a deep wound on her back - marks that reflect the challenges these animals face in busy fishing waters.
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members soon 🖤🤍
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
#Coexistence
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
Ontem tivemos o nosso primeiro avistamento de Orcas do ano: Um encontro lindo e inesperado com duas fêmeas, a 0.5nm da Ponta da Piedade em Lagos.
E graças aos nossos colegas e parceiros, já as conseguimos identificar:
X1 Freya
X2 Valkyria
De acordo com a @mare.orcas
(C-001 e C-002 no catálogo da GTOA)
Obrigada @mare.orcas e @pseudorca 😍💪
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.
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Yesterday we had our first Orca sighting of the year: A beautiful and unexpected encounter with two females, 0.5 nautical miles from Ponta da Piedade in Lagos.
And thanks to our colleagues and partners, we have already been able to identify them:
X1 Freya
X2 Valkyrie
According to @mare.orcas
(C-001 and C-002, in GTOA catalog)
Thank you @mare.orcas and @pseudorca 💪😍
#orcas #killerwhale #whalewatching #algarve #icnfsomostodosnos
#MeetTheIberianOrca
Today we introduce Levi (IB24 / F-002).
Levi is one of the few adult males currently present in the Iberian orca population. Born around 2005, he is likely the oldest offspring of Estela (IB5 / F-001).
He can be recognised by his tall dorsal fin, which has few markings and a rounded tip. Among the males of this population, Levi is also known for having one of the largest dorsal fins.
When interacting around boats, Levi often keeps a bit more distance, which may reflect a more observant and cautious character 🖤🤍
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members soon :)
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
#Coexistence
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
Today we introduce Estela (IB5 / F-001)
Estela is an adult female and one of the important matriarchs of the Iberian orca population. Based on long-term observations, her age is estimated to be at least from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
She is easily recognisable by the distinctive shape of her dorsal fin, which has a prominent notch at the tip.
Estela has given birth to four calves, two of which are no longer alive.
She is the mother of Sintra, one of the younger members of the population who should now be around 10 years old, and also the mother of Levi, one of the few adult males currently present in this population 🤍🖤
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members soon ☺️
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
#Coexistence
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
Our series Meet the #IberianOrca continues.
Today we introduce Toñi (IB1/A-001)
Toñi is the oldest known matriarch of the Iberian orca population, born around 1968. After decades in these waters, she has become something like the grandmother of this small community.
For many years she travelled with her large son Camacho and her younger daughter, both of whom sadly died in 2012 and 2015.
After these losses, Toñi kind of adopted Pingu (IB17/A-007) as her adoptive son, after Pingu lost his mother. Over time, the two became closely associated.
Her story reflects the strong social bonds that have orca societies…family, knowledge, and experience are carried through generations.
Toñi, for many more years together 🖤🤍💪
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members of this unique population.
PS: And as many of you might now, our boat for the #SaveTheIberianOrca campaign is named after Toñi ☺️
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrca
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
Our series Meet the #IberianOrca continues.
Today we introduce Pingu (IB17/A-007).
Pingu is one of the few adult males currently present in the Iberian orca population. His tall dorsal fin, marked with several notches, makes him unmistakable at sea.
His story is closely connected with Toñi, the oldest matriarch of this population.
After losing her large son Camacho in 2012 and later her younger daughter in 2015, Toñi joined the matriline of Pingu, who at that time still lived with his mother and siblings.
But within only a few years, Pingu also lost his family - first his mother, then his brother Eris, and later his younger brother.
In the end, the two of them remained…and Toñi gradually became a kind of adoptive mother to Pingu.
Pingu’s story is one of loss, survival, and unexpected family bonds 🤍🖤
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members of this incredible population.
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
#Orcas
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
Our series Meet the #IberianOrca continues.
Today we introduce Elba.
Elba is an adult female, born around 1997, and the daughter of Tanit (IB9).
She is one of the reproductively active females in this population, with four known calves. Two of them are still present: Kora (IB29/A-019) and a young calf born at the end of 2024 (IB48).
Her dorsal fin is not very distinctive, but she can be identified by three very prominent scratches on the left side of the saddle patch and a dark vertical scratch on the right side.
Elba is also one of the orcas known to interact with artisanal longline tuna fishing vessels.
Hopefully we will see Elba this year together with her young calf :)
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members 🤍🖤
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
#Coexistence
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
Our series Meet the #IberianOrca continues
Today we introduce Atlas 🖤🤍
Atlas is one of the most curious and playful orcas and is often seen interacting with sailing and fishing boats in the Strait of Gibraltar.
He is the son of Estrella.
Several cuts from a boat propeller are visible on the right side of his body - injuries he survived and still carries today. A resilient boy 💪
Due to his character Atlas is one of the recognizable members of this small and unique population.
As part of our Photo-ID project together with @mare.orcas , details such as family relations, dates of birth, and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more members of this amazing orca population.
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
🖤 Meet the #IberianOrca 🤍
With this series, we want to bring the remaining individuals of the Iberian Orcas a bit closer to us.
Why?
Because they are not just a population, but individuals with identities, relationships, and stories.
Understanding who they are and how they are connected is key to understanding them.
Let us introduce you to Kora :)
Born in 2014, she is the daughter of Elba and the granddaughter of Tanit - part of a lineage where knowledge, memory, and survival are passed on through generations in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Iberian peninsula.
We’re happy to share that this Photo-ID project is a collaborative effort with @mare.orcas , where details such as date of birth and assigned “personalized names” are based on their long-term research and catalogue.
Stay tuned to meet more family members.
#SaveTheIberianOrca
#MeetTheIberianOrca
#IberianOrcas
#coexistence
@iberian_orca_guardians@wewhale_org@mare.orcas
Este es Dante (IB31 del catálogo de @mare.orcas ). Dante es un macho de 9 años, ya que nació en 2016. Si os fijáis bien, en ese momento se estaba alimentando, pues lleva un atún en la boca. Pero fijaos un poco más: en su piel, justo detrás del espiráculo, se observan unas marcas en forma de anilla.
En la zona del Estrecho, estas orcas utilizan la técnica del robo del atún y nadan alrededor del sedal para poder capturarlo. Eso implica que, muchas veces, se hacen daño y les quedan estas marcas como resultado de la interacción.
👉🏼 ¡Desliza hasta el final para ver de cerca las cicatrices y el atún en la boca!
Y si te ha gustado no olvides dejar un 🤍
