Southern Resident Orca Gives Birth To Another Calf

SEATTLE — What a week for whale watchers! On Wednesday, experts excitedly announced that the youngest Southern Resident Killer Whale calf, J57, was a boy.

Now, there's even more exciting news: a brand-new orca calf has been born in the J pod. After J57, that makes this the second J pod calf birth this September.

Researchers say the new calf's mother is J41. It's her second child, she gave birth to a male calf, J51, in 2015 when she was just ten years old.

Naturalists Talia Goodyear and Lea Vanderwiel say J51 may have given birth on September 24, right alongside their Orca Spirit Adventures vessel.

"It was an emotional time as we processed what was happening in front of us," said Vanderwiel. "It took a few minutes to realize what was actually happening, but then it was pure excitement realizing that it was a birth and the baby was very alive and boisterous."

The new calf will not receive an alpha-numeric designation until researchers can determine it is healthy— roughly 40 percent of newborn orca calves do not survive their first few weeks.

The Center for Whale Research says they eagerly await the whales return, when they will check the calf's health and hopefully determine its sex. The J pod's other youngest calf, J57, was just determined to be a boy earlier this week, and while that is exciting news, researchers say the pod really needs a female orca to help strengthen their population.

"For the Southern Resident killer whale community's population sustainability, it is preferred that new calves are female. But regardless of gender, J57 is a very welcome addition."

Related: Pregnant Orcas Face Unique Challenges In Puget Sound

Researchers will continue to watch both J57 and the new young calf as they hope for their continued health. Data suggests that between 37 and 50 percent of calves do not survive through their first year.