Baby killer whale seen bouncing and rolling off Washington. See the peachy orange calf

Yahoo

18-02-2025

A peachy orange baby killer whale was spotted bouncing and rolling in waters off Washington, a nonprofit said.
A pod of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales were photographed Feb. 8 off San Juan Islands in the Salish Sea, the Center for Whale Research said in a Feb. 15 Facebook post.
Researchers were able to catch a glimpse of all 26 members of J pod on camera, including its newest member, J-62.
'The new calf J62 appears to be doing well and was seen bouncing around between J41 and other members of the J19s,' the nonprofit said in the post. They identified J-41 as the baby orca's likely mother a couple of weeks earlier.
During this encounter, the nonprofit confirmed the baby orca is a girl, and she appears to be 'filling out nicely.'
Instead of the classic white, calves are born with a peachy orange color because they have a thinner blubber layer, so the blood vessels are closer to the skin's surface, the nonprofit said.
The calf was first spotted on New Year's Eve, according to a Jan. 1 Facebook post.
It was a bittersweet day for researchers though, as they learned of the death of another calf, J-61.
The grieving mother, Tahlequah, then carried her dead calf's body, McClatchy News reported.
Tahlequah famously carried a different baby's body for 17 days in 2018 — a time known as her 'tour of grief.'
However, during the Feb. 8 encounter, the nonprofit said Tahlequah was seen swimming without the calf.
Southern Resident killer whales were listed as endangered species in 2005 and are listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
These whales are made up of three groups: J, K and L pods. They spend summer and fall months in the Puget Sound and in the waters off southern Vancouver Island, NOAA said.
J pod frequents the western shore of the San Juan Islands.
'While most other killer whale populations are doing well, the Southern Residents are among the world's most endangered marine mammals,' the federal agency said.
Lack of prey (mainly Chinook salmon), chemical pollution and noise disturbances from vessels have all contributed to a decline in their population, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Additionally, for this whale population, 69% of births fail, according to a study published by researchers from the University of Washington.
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