L122 Magic is a male orca, born in September 2015. 2015 was a good year for births and Magic was the fifth orca born that year in the Southern community, two others in L pod were also born that year. Magic’s mother is Muncher, number L91 and she was born in 1995. Magic was Muncher’s first born. All the orcas in that family tree have names beginning with the letter M. Not all of the L pod orcas have names beginning with M because there are other families in the same pod.
Orca pods tend to stay together and L pod orcas have been seen as far away as Sooke and they even cross the border into USA waters. Mothers look after their young long after birth but fathers usually have little to do with their young. Magic is often seen very close to his mother. Our southern community orcas prefer salmon, especially chinook of which they may eat several in a day so they are somewhat dependent on a good supply. Salmon are not always abundant. Salmon also are dependent on a good supply of food; herring is salmon’s favourite food and it is not always plentiful because thousands of herring are exported every year.