It’s a girl! Baby orca off Washington coast critical to population growth, experts say

An orca calf is a girl and it could mean big things for the Southern Resident killer whale population, researchers said.

A photographer captured images Saturday of a calf that was born off the Pacific coast in the fall.

“The calf was rolling, showing her underside, which revealed her gender,” the Center for Whale Research said in a Facebook post. “New females in the Southern Resident killer whale community are critical to the population’s sustainability.”

The calf, known by researchers as J58, was born in September to the Pacific Northwest’s J-pod.

In September, there were only 74 whales in the southern resident killer whale population, according to the Marine Mammal Commission.

The birth of a new female whale could mean big things for the population as it could reproduce.

Another orca in the same pod was identified as a boy in September after a photographer spotted the calf.

Researchers also confirmed in February that another orca was born in the Southern Resident killer whale population’s L-pod, according to McClatchy News.

All of the calves appeared to be doing well in February, McClatchy News reported.

This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 8:56 AM with the headline "It’s a girl! Baby orca off Washington coast critical to population growth, experts say."