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UPDATE, ALMOST INSTANTLY AFTER POSTING: Yes, we know they are mammals. Chill out.

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Quick update on that crew of orcas that graced our presence Saturday: Rob Fowler, local naturalist and orca-sighter, forwards us some correspondence he had with Alisa Schulman-Janiger of the California Killer Whale Project over the weekend, in which Schulman-Janiger puts names to dorsal fins.

Turns out that the five whales are Bigg’s Killer Whales — roaming orcas — from the T035A group, led by a 27-year-old matriarch named “Lester.” With Lester were her kids: 15-year-old Opal (T035A1), 12-year-old Topaz (T035A2), 7-year-old Garnet (T035A3) and 3-year-old Agate (T035A4).

Schulman said this is the first time these whales have been documented in California waters, though Lester’s mother — 55-year-old Rooby Roo (T035) — was among the whales who cruised past Humboldt Bay in June 2020. Rooby Roo apparently rolls with the T038 squad these days.

You can get to know the various gangs of Bigg’s Killer Whales, including the T035As, at this cool link from the people at Our Wild Puget Sound.

Thanks again to Rob Fowler for keeping us all in the loop.