Washington made the orca its official marine mammal in 2005, after a class of second graders spent two years asking lawmakers to.
The best-known orcas here are the Southern Residents: three families called J, K and L pods. They eat mostly salmon, and their young stay with their mother's family for life. They're endangered, with fewer than 80 whales left, so every sighting matters.
You may also see Bigg's orcas, which hunt seals and sea lions and have been turning up in Puget Sound more often. Either way, an orca isn't quite a whale: it's the largest member of the dolphin family.