Southern Resident orcas welcome first newborn calf into J Pod in more than two years
The Southern Resident orcas welcomed the first whale calf born into the J Pod in more than two years, the Center for Whale Research announced on Wednesday, March 2.
The center said it first received notice of the possible addition to the J Pod on Tuesday while the pod was off San Juan Island, according to a news release.
The center’s photo ID expert Dave Ellifirt found the whales and confirmed the new calf swimming next to J37, with J47 and J40 nearby, the release stated.
The center said it last spotted J37 on Feb. 11, and she did not have a calf at that time. It estimates the calf was born within the past few days given its “lumpy” physical nature.
The calf has been designated J59, though the center said its sex is not known at this time. J59 was seen traveling with J37 in a tight group with other family members.
“Its size and shape are typical of a calf in good physical condition,” the release stated.
J59 is the first calf born into J Pod since September 2020, when J41 gave birth to a female calf, J58, according to the release.
J37 was born in 2001 as part of the J14 matriline, and she has two siblings — J40 (a female born in 2004) and J45 (a male born in 2009). J37 previously gave birth to J49, a male, in 2012, when she was just 11 years old.
As of Dec. 31, 2021, the Center for Whale Research listed 73 Southern Resident orcas, including 24 members of the J Pod, 33 members of the L Pod and 16 members of the K Pod.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Southern Resident orcas welcome first newborn calf into J Pod in more than two years."
