- On December 26, a Southern killer whale calf was spotted in Washington
- It is believed the calf was born on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
- The Center for Whale Research confirmed on social media that the calf is a boy
A new mother killer whale was spotted by researchers swimming with her beautiful newborn calf off the coast of Northwest Washington.
Whale researchers Maya and Mark Sears spotted the Southern resident killer whale calf and the newest member of the J-pod on December 26.
Wildlife biologist Brad Hanson said The spokesperson review that the calf was spotted near President Point in Puget Sound.
The calf was likely born on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, as the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor had not spotted it before then.
The center wrote in a social media post that its mother was likely a J40 orca named Suttles and confirmed the calf is a boy.
A newborn orca calf was spotted in Washington on December 26 by whale researchers Maya and Mark Sears
The calf was spotted swimming near a J-pod whale named Suttles, who is the calf's suspected mother
The Center for Whale Research confirmed in a Facebook post that the southern whale calf is a boy
The Center for Whale Research named the new calf J60 and has not yet chosen another name for him.
In addition to the Sears, more than ten other people saw the calf swimming in the water.
Teacher Neil Davis alerted his husband and a friend's family to the sighting Tuesday while he stood on the beach at Fay Bainbridge Park on Bainbridge.
J60 yes the 26th paragraph of the J-pod family group of southern resident killer whales commonly seen in Washington and British Columbia.
The Orca Conservancy indicates that the youngest whale before J60 is Sxwyeqólh, who was born last year.
The calf, the newest member of the J-pod, was spotted in Puget Sound, located off the coast of northwest Washington
Mark has been researching orcas since the 1970s and had seen all the members of the J pod with his daughter Maya on the 23rd.
After spotting the calf on the 26th, the duo took their boat and returned to the water the next day in hopes of scooping up fecal samples.
“When calves are very young, the white parts of their bodies have a peachy tint,” said Maya Sears during an interview with KUOW.org.
“We saw a tiny little fin that was even more peachy.”
Mark added that the calf was “quite active” and was “trying to do a tail slap.”
Mark and Maya Sears saw every J-pod whale except the baby on December 23. After spotting the whale, the two returned to the water to try to collect fecal samples.
According to The Seattle TimesSouthern resident killer whales are threatened by a lack of Chinook salmon in their range, pollution and underwater noise that make it harder for them to hunt and communicate.
Researchers found that two-thirds of southern resident whale pregnancies end in loss due to lack of food.
If J60 survives its first birthday, it could bring the estimated endangered orca population to 75.
“To grow the population, you really need five or six successful calves,” Hanson told The Seattle Times.
'And that just doesn't happen in the population.'