The southern resident orcas have a new member in one of their pods!
A new calf was spotted with the K Pod on Tuesday afternoon. According to the Orca Conservancy, a “very small and very orange calf” was spotted with K12.
However, upon looking at footage, Orca Conservancy said it appeared the calf was primarily travelling with K36.
"From our perspective on shore, the calf appears to look robust and energetic. We observed it surfacing often on its own and zipping around the large group of Ks," according to the Orca Conservancy.
They will be sharing their documentation with the Center for Whale Research (CWR).
CWR will assign the calf an alphanumeric ID—likely K47, as K46 was used in the historical catalog. Per their protocol, CWR will also confirm the calf’s maternity after it has been observed in three separate encounters, according to the Orca Conservancy.
This is the first calf born to the KPod since 2022.
It’s believed there are at least 14 whales in the KPod.