The endangered southern resident killer whale population has increased by one after a newly identified calf was first spotted near B.C.
The Story
The endangered southern resident killer whale population has grown by one after a calf was spotted in waters near British Columbia, according to the Center for Whale Research.
The centre said the new calf was first spotted on Monday with its mother, designated J35 by researchers.
Researchers then spotted the mother and calf again on Tuesday and determined the “very young” whale is a male likely less than a week old.
The calf has been designated J65 and is J35’s sixth documented calf, with her first born in 2010.
The Center for Whale Research said J35 previously lost calves, including being seen carrying a dead calf for 17 days in 2018, and that another calf born in 2024 did not survive.
According to the centre, J65 shows no health issues and is “moving well, socializing, and nursing,” though researchers noted only about half of all calves survive their first year.
The centre also said another southern resident, J31, was spotted with a dead calf earlier this month near Sombro Point on Vancouver Island.
As of July, the centre said the population of Southern Residents was 76.
← More stories