# A4 pod > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/A4_pod > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/A4_pod.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A4_pod > Source revision: 1323978581 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **A4 pod** is a [killer whale](/source/Killer_whale) family in [British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia). As of March 2013, it consists of three matrilines and 15 members and is the family of [Springer](/source/Springer_(orca)), the first orca to be successfully reintroduced to the wild after being handled by humans. A4 pod is part of the [northern resident orcas](/source/Northern_resident_orca) found in coastal waters ranging from mid-[Vancouver Island](/source/Vancouver_Island) to southeastern [Alaska](/source/Alaska) up through [Haida Gwaii](/source/Haida_Gwaii) (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands). The community is made up of three clans known as A, G and R clans, each possessing a distinctive dialect and consisting of several related pods. A4 pod belongs to the biggest clan, A clan. ## Early research and naming A4 pod was one of the first pods photo-identified by [Michael Bigg](/source/Michael_Bigg) and Graeme Ellis in 1972. At that time, it was called “The Six” and was first thought to be part of A pod. When it became clear to researchers that these whales spent a significant amount of time apart from the rest of the group and had just happened to be travelling together when first identified, it was named A4 pod and A pod became A1 pod, A4 pod and A5 pod. Also, when the study began, it was assumed that orca pods were harems led by mature males. Thus, A4 pod was named after a large bull called A4 while it should have been named A10 pod after the matriarch A10. ## Evolution of the pod When A4 pod was first encountered, it travelled as one group led by the matriarch A10. In 1983, she and her youngest calf, A47, were shot at the rubbing beaches in [Robson Bight](/source/Robson_Bight). A [whale watching](/source/Whale_watching) vessel reported A47 bleeding profusely while being supported by its mother. Both of the whales died that winter. A10's probable daughters Yakat (A11) and Kelsey (A24) were left with the role of matriarchs while still being young adults. In 1986, the pod began splitting into two subpods, A11, led by Yakat and A24, led by Kelsey, but continued to spend most of their time together. Starting in the early 2000s, Yakat's oldest daughter Skagit (A35) and her offspring began spending time apart from the rest of the group, thus creating a third matriline, A35. After the death of Yakat, matriline A56 was formed with Nahwitti as matriarch. The A35s and the A56s are still most often seen together. Seventeen members of the A4 pod have died since the study begin, more than any other pod in the northern resident community. Kelsey (A24) lost her first five calves, as well as her two younger siblings. Yakat (A11) lost two offspring, one of her grandchildren and one of her great-grandchildren. In 2001, Kelsey's daughter Sutlej (A45) died, leaving two-year-old daughter [Springer](/source/Springer_(orca)) (A73) orphaned. In 2002, Springer was found alone and emaciated in [Puget Sound](/source/Puget_Sound), several hundreds of miles away from her family's [home range](/source/Home_range). After being taken to [Johnstone Strait](/source/Johnstone_Strait) and brought back to health, she was successfully reintroduced to wild whales before settling in with her grandaunt Yakat's matriline. In 2006, Yakat's son Skeena (A13) sustained an injury to the top of his [dorsal fin](/source/Dorsal_fin) and her great-grandchild Canoona (A82) was hit by a boat propeller. The whale then went missing and is now considered dead. Having four reproductive females, A4 pod can be recognized by its large proportion of young calves and juveniles. They are much warier of boats than other pods and often prefer to stay far away from them despite being more tolerant than in the 1980s. They are one of the most commonly encountered groups of orcas, mostly due to their preference for the [Johnstone Strait](/source/Johnstone_Strait) region during the summer and fall and are often seen with other Northern Resident pods, especially [A1](/source/A1_Pod) and [A5 pods](/source/A5_Pod) which appear to be very closely related to one another. A4 pod is the only resident pod to frequently feed on [pink salmon](/source/Pink_salmon); other residents prefer the larger, fatter [Chinook salmon](/source/Chinook_salmon). In January 2013, 55-year-old matriarch Yakat (A11) was found dead on a beach near [Ketchikan, Alaska](/source/Ketchikan,_Alaska). A full necropsy was performed to try to determine the cause of death.[1] ## Current status As of March 2013, A4 pod consists of three matrilines and 15 members. The three matrilines are: The A24 matriline, which consists of Kelsey's daughter Schooner (A64), born in 1995, her son Magin (A71), born in 1999, Toba (A78), born in 2003 and Mystery (A94), born in 2009, as well as Schooner's first offspring, Kanish (A89). The A35 matriline, which consists of Yakat's daughter Skagit (A35), born in 1974, her daughter Kiltick (A52), born in 1987, her daughter Sunny (A70), born in 1999, Roller, born in 2003, Pine (A90), born in 2008 and Kiltick's own calf Nalau (A81), born in 2004. The A56 matriline, which consists of Yakat's daughter Nahwitti (A56), born in 1990, her cousin once removed Springer (A73), born around 2000, Springer's offspring, Spirit (A104), born in 2013, her newest offspring Storm (A116), born in 2017 and Nahwitti's own offspring, Kalect (A97), born in 2010. The matriline was named after Yakat (A11) until her death in January 2013. Name Sex Birth Death Mother Offspring A4 Male 1952 1984 A10 Female 1941 1983 A47; presumed: Yakat, Kelsey A11 Yakat Female 1958 January 2013 presumed: A10 Skagit, Skeena, Nahwitti A13 Skeena Male 1978 2010 Yakat A19 1973 1973 A24 Kelsey Female 1967 2013 presumed: A10 Sutlej, Schooner, Magin, Toba, Mystery A35 Skagit Female 1974 Yakat Kiltik, Sunny, Roller, Pine A41 1981 1981 A45 Sutlej Female 1983 2001 Kelsey Springer A47 1983 1983 A10 A48 Siwiti 1983 1996 A49 1985 1986 A52 Kiltik Female 1987 Skagit A53 Scylla 1988 1992 A56 Nahwitti Female 1990 Yakat Kalect A58 Surf 1992 1993 A59 Racey 1992 2006 A64 Schooner Female 1995 Kelsey Kanish A65 1996 1996 A68 1997 1997 A70 Sunny Female 1999 Skagit A71 Magin Male 1999 Kelsey A73 Springer Female 2000 Sutlej Spirit, Storm A76 2002 2002 A77 Roller 2003 Skagit A78 Toba 2003 A81 Nalau 2004 Kiltik A82 Canoona 2004 2006 A89 Kanish Schooner A90 Pine 2008 Skagit A94 Mystery 2009 A97 Kalect 2010 Nahwitti A100 Kwatna 2011 A104 Spirit Winter 2012–13 Springer A116 Storm Female 2017 Springer ## See also - [Springer](/source/Springer_(orca)) - [A1 Pod](/source/A1_Pod) - [A5 Pod](/source/A5_Pod) - [List of Northern Resident Killer Whale Pods](/source/List_of_Northern_Resident_Killer_Whale_Pods) ## Books - Ford, John K.B.; Ellis, Graeme M.; & Balcomb, Kenneth C. (2000). Killer Whales (2nd ed.). UBC Press. ISBN 0-7748-0800-4. - Hoyt, Erich. (1990). Orca: The Whale Called Killer (3rd ed.). London: Robert Hale Limited. ISBN 0-920656-25-0. - Morton, Alexandra. (2002). Listening To Whales : What the Orcas Have Taught Us. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-44288-1. ## References 1. ["Alaska Sea Grant: Whoops."](https://alaskaseagrant.org/whoops/). *Alaska Sea Grant*. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2023. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [A4 pod](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A4_pod) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A4_pod?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.