A whale of a baby boom is unfolding in Southern waters right now and a new addition has just surfaced. A few of the orcas appear to be pregnant, and the Center for Whale Research confirmed Saturday that a new orca calf had been spotted in one of the pods.
Advertisement
Newborn orca calf J53 is seen with it’s mother J17 off San Juan Island, Wash., on Saturday, October 24, 2015.
That makes six calves born since December.
The latest birth raises Puget Sound’s orca population to 82, Harris said.
The whale watch community is supposedly referring to the births as the Class of 2015, according to Michael Harris, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association. The new baby is a member of J-pod and was born to an unusually old female – a 38-year-old grandmother named Princess Angeline. Prior to that, it had been almost three years since a successful birth. “Forty is definitely the new 30 among the Southerns”.
“We’re on the uptick”, he said.
Advertisement
Harris says good salmon runs this year are likely behind the boost in breeding. “We’re dealing with these insane ocean conditions and increased pressures on land, so we’re going to have a very challenging salmon year next year. Now we’ve got a grandma having a baby”.
