SEATTLE, Wash. — The Center for Whale Research announced that a new calf has been born in the southern resident killer whale population.
According to a statement from the center, researchers observed a very young whale traveling with J35 on October 19. The calf, designated J65, is very young, less than a week old based on its appearance and J35’s previous sightings.
Researchers said the calf looked healthy and was socializing well with other whales.
This is J35’s sixth documented calf, starting with her now-teenage son J47 in 2010. In 2018, J35 was observed carrying the body of a dead female calf for 17 days. She then had another son, J57, in 2020, followed by a daughter, J61, who did not survive, in 2024.