By: Esther JuLee
In reply to <a href="https://localadventurer.com/best-places-to-whale-watch-in-the-us/#comment-78615">Becky</a>.
That is good to know! Thanks for sharing, Becky :)
By: Becky
Orcas Island
It is easy to confuse the name of the whale (orca, lower case “o”) with the name of Orcas Island, but it is a good distinction to know. The ‘orca’ whale is part of the Latin scientific classification Orcinus orca, which translates as "belonging to Orcus" - Orcus was a Roman god of the netherworld, and this genus name is likely a reference to the hunting prowess of the killer whale. In Latin, orca translates "large-bellied pot or jar", but orc- also refers to a whale.
The name of Orcas Island, on the other hand, came when Spanish explorers entered the area in 1792 and named the San Juan Islands after various Spanish and Mexican dignitaries. Orcas was a shortened version of Horcasitas, after Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, the Viceroy of Mexico who sent an exploration expedition under Francisco de Eliza to the Pacific Northwest in 1791. Eliza used the name for the whole archipelago, but in 1847, mapmaker Henry Kellett assigned the name to Orcas Island during his reorganization of the British Admiralty charts.
By: Eearth Travel
In reply to <a href="https://localadventurer.com/best-places-to-whale-watch-in-the-us/#comment-59963">mildred rozza</a>.
Mildred, it's incredible!
By: mildred rozza
I'm more excited to go whale watching now.