Researchers and whale watchers are excited for the newest addition in orca whales from Puget Sound, a baby orca that was seen in San Juan Islands in Washington state last Saturday afternoon, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
This baby orca was born from the J Pod which belong to the three pods of orca whales living near the southern region as this pod is considered to be the most experienced one in maintaining babies alive from infancy, says Michael Harris of the Association.
Harris considers this as fantastic news where this latest addition to the pod is now known as J53 which is also the fourth baby born into J pod this year. The baby orca was first spotted near the western coast of San Juan island as J53 which is actually surprising since it is the Fourth baby calf to be born from J17 who is a 38 year old killer whale and also a grandmother to other orcas, namely J46 and J47, adds Harris.
On Saturday night, this whale birth was confirmed from photos captured by the Maya's Legacy crew which is one of the 36 operators of whale watching associations in British Columbia and Washington. The images of J53 reveal fetal folds or folded skin which is a telltale sign that it was born some days ago.
The other whale group called the L pod also had two babies born since December and one born last March from a ten year old orca who is also the youngest on record according to Harris. Typically, orca whales do not give birth until they are 14 or 15 years of age.
To date, J53's gender is still unknown but Harris and his team are hoping for a girl. The orca whale population in the region is almost split in half for males and females however only one in five calves born this year is a female.
Wild male orcas can live up to 50 to 60 years however, female orcas can live up to their 90s or even beyond including L17 and two older J pod whales who have given birth well into their 40s.
These southern orcas are under the protection of the Endangered Species Act where the population is now 77 individuals as one orca died from giving birth last year.
Harris believes that chinook salmon populations has been very robust this year and last summer, making this "baby boom" possible where this fish makes up 90 percent of the orca diet.