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A Canadian whale researcher reported a new orca calf was born into the J pod.
Photos posted Friday show the new baby alongside its mother, J31 and several other females in the pod.
According to a release from the Center for Whale Research, the coloration and body condition of the calf shows it was likely born within the past couple of weeks.
This is the second southern resident calf born since January.
It just may be a sign of hope for the orca population in the Pacific Northwest as it had been decreasing.
In mid-May, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration discovered the female orca J17's health was continuing to decline.
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Since a fall 2018 survey conducted by John Durban, the orca showed further emaciation this spring. The noninvasive survey was conducted by drone photography in conjunction with Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research, according to a report from MyNorthwest.
It showed the matriarch as having a pronounced "peanut head," which indicated severe loss of body fat.
In September 2018, J50, also known as Scarlet, was officially presumed dead when scientists said they hadn't spotted her with the J pod for a full week. The 3-year-old orca was struggling to gain weight.
Weeks before that, another whale in the J pod, J35 or Tahlequah, lost her female calf.
According to the Tofino Whale Watching Blog, the J pod is seen once a year by representatives with The Whale Centre in Tofino, British Columbia. The last time the whales were seen by them was June 8, 2018, heading down the coast.
According to the blog, from spring through the fall, the orcas are most seen in the protected inshore waters of the Salish Sea, which includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia and in waters around the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia.
The southern resident killer whales are comprised of J, K and L pods.
Cox Media Group
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