The orca J pod has been very active in Central Puget Sound waters Friday, and they’ve got reason to be animated: There’s a new calf.
The newborn orca has been born to the J pod, and is yet to be named by whale researchers.
The SeaDoc Society and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance first spotted the baby Thursday in Saratoga Passage, near Whidbey and Camano islands.
The orca was reportedly seen again Friday by folks with the Center for Whale Research, who first noticed the mother was pregnant this month.
SeaDoc says it appears the mother is 18-year-old J42, also known as “Echo.”
Just one week ago, another mother in the J pod lost her baby, and was seen carrying the newborn in what’s believed to be a show of grief.
RELATED: Orca mom carries dead newborn calf in San Juans
Most baby orcas don’t live past their first birthday due to pollution and a shortage of salmon to eat.
Researchers hope this one beats the odds. SeaDoc said Thursday that the new calf “appeared to be in good body condition” and was spotted “in close proximity” to its grandmother, J16, and uncle, J26. The Center for Whale Research and SeaDoc planned to “re-evaluate the new calf’s condition” on Friday.
The J pod was giving ferry riders and people on shore quite the show on Friday, swimming in clusters in Central Puget Sound, past Burien and Bainbridge and Vashon islands.
The population of endangered Southern Resident orcas has fluctuated this year, with births and deaths. Scientists recorded fewer than 75 Southern Resident orcas last year.