A new orca calf is believed to have been born into one of the three critically endangered southern resident killer whale (SRKW) pods.<\/p>\n
The orca calf was spotted in the Puget Sound in Washington on Tuesday afternoon by the non-profit group Orca Conservancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n The group was observing K-pod off Shoreline, Washington, when they spotted a \u201cvery small and very orange calf amongst the K14s with the K12s.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom our perspective on shore, the calf appears to look robust and energetic,\u201d said Orca Conservancy in a social media post.<\/p>\n \u201cWe observed it surfacing often on its own and zipping around the large group of Ks.\u201d <\/p>\n The non-profit says it\u2019s still reviewing its footage but it looked like the calf was sticking close to an orca identified as a K36, or Yoda.<\/p>\n However, there\u2019s still a long road ahead before the orca calf is officially added to the population. Orca Conservancy is sending its findings to the Washington-based Center For Whale Research (CWR), which will then assign the calf its own alphanumeric ID, like K47.<\/p>\n \u201cPer their protocol, CWR will also confirm the calf\u2019s maternity after it has been observed in three separate encounters,\u201d said Orca Conservancy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very excited about this discovery, since this this is the first calf born into K-Pod since K45 Prosper in 2022<\/a>,\u201d said the non-profit group.<\/p>\n Critically endangered species<\/p>\n Southern resident killer whales are a type of orca that are on the brink of extinction. The most recent census estimates their population is at 74 individuals across all three pods \u2013 K-pod, J-pod and L-pod.<\/p>\n The most recent word of a calf being born came in September, when researchers with the Center for Whale Research spotted a new calf in J-pod<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hopes were dashed just weeks later, however, when researchers announced the new calf, dubbed J64, was missing and presumed dead<\/a>.<\/p>\n The biggest threats to SRKWs include a decline in their main food source \u2013 chinook salmon \u2013 and increasing urbanization in their habitat, such as pollution and noise from large vessels like cruise ships, tankers and freighters.<\/p>\n While the species\u2019 population is dwindling, the orcas remain active across the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n Last month, a rare \u201csuperpod\u201d formed south of Victoria, a term that describes when orcas from all three pods meet and intermingle.<\/p>\n