Whale research center celebrates sighting of female orca calf
Feb 25, 2025, 7:21 AM | Updated: 7:21 am
J62, the latest calf born to the endangered southern resident orcas, seen swimming alongside J-pod. (Photo courtesy of the Center for Whale Research)
(Photo courtesy of the Center for Whale Research)
An endangered southern resident orca calf, first discovered on New Year’s Eve, has been spotted again, and the Center for Whale Research is thrilled at the calf’s appearance.
“She’s still there. She looks normal. She’s behaving normally,” Michael Weiss, a research director with the Center for Whale Research, told KIRO Newsradio. “And that we were able to confirm the calf’s sex, and it’s a female, which is really good news.”
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Healthy female calves are pivotal to repopulating the species locally, as just 73 southern resident orcas remain. This most recent calf, J62, is the only surviving calf out of four born by endangered southern resident killer whales to the Puget Sound area since late 2023.
“The big limiting factor is their reproductive success,” Weiss said. “So the female’s ability to have calves, and also to keep them alive long enough so that their calves can have their own calves.”
According to the Center for Whale Research, the whales’ population is threatened by pollution, noise from vessels and a declining food source. Southern resident orcas mainly eat Chinook salmon.
Another calf, initially dubbed J61, born around Christmas 2024 to J35, a killer whale known as Tahlequah, died in the new year. J35 was seen carrying the body of J61 with her for several days. The Center for Whale Research noted this behavior was seen previously by J35 in 2018 when she carried the body of her previous calf that had died for more than two weeks — 17 days.
More coverage on J61: Mother orca whale again seen carrying dead calf; another new calf spotted
“We did see J35 in our recent encounters with J pod,” Weiss said. “She has now dropped that calf and she appears to be normal. J62 is not out of those woods yet. We know we don’t know what’s going to happen over the next few months, but it is encouraging to at least see a calf that looks and is behaving normally.”
Normal behavior from an orca calf includes traveling with her family, keeping up with everyone and showing no immediate indication that she has any decline in her body condition.
Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest
Heather Bosch is an award-winning anchor and reporter on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of her stories here. Follow Heather on X, or email her here.
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