Did you know that orcas are sexually dimorphic? This means that mature females and males are visibly different from one another and, in the case of orcas, can be seen in their dorsal fins
During puberty (around age 12-15), male orcas experience a rapid period of growth where their dorsal fin shoots up in height, typically ending up around 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 meters) tall — roughly double the height of their female counterparts! Adult male orcas tend to have dorsal fins that stand straight up, whereas adult female orcas often have curved or angled dorsal fins. When viewing orcas, it’s usually pretty apparent which whales are adult females and males, but it’s often more difficult to determine the sex of the juvenile whales; we sometimes don’t know an individual is male until they start undergoing the sprouting process.
In this recent encounter with the T77 pod, you can see the difference in dorsals between the female and male pod members, as well as the juvenile who was born in 2016. Within the next five years, we should have an indication on whether T77E is female or male!
