Report: New orca calf born in southern resident J pod
The killer whale Eclipse, or J41, has given birth to a new calf, a whale watching company reported Friday.
The calf was reportedly seen off the coast of Vancouver Island swimming with other members of the J pod, a group of southern resident killer whales, by a Canadian whale watching company. They reported the sighting and provided photos in their blog.
Southern resident killer whales, or orcas, are made up of three pods, kind of like families, the J, K and L pods. The last confirmed calf, L124 was born to L pod member L77 in December 2018, according to the Center for Whale Research which holds records of the pods' populations. It hasn't confirmed the birth yet.
If the new calf is confirmed, that would add a 23rd member to the J pod and a 76th member to the southern resident killer whale total population.
The calf could be a small victory for a population facing threats due to low food levels, marine traffic noise and poor health among pod members.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/report-new-orca-calf-born-in-southern-resident-j-pod/ar-AACd6ym