New calf discovered today in J pod of the endangered Southern Resident orca community.
— from the Orca Network/Center for Whale Research —
Official portrait of baby J50 and mom Slick (J16) off North Pender Island. Courtesy Orca Network
This afternoon [ Dec. 30] Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research confirmed seeing and photographing 42-year old J16 (Slick) with her newborn baby – now known as J50!
During an encounter off the south shores of North Pender Island in Canadian Waters Ken discovered J16 with her newborn calf, only a day or two old, snuggled in her slipstream and looking healthy and energetic.
No other female has given birth at over 42 years of age in the four decades of demographic field studies of the Southern Resident orcas. J16 was not expected to be carrying a calf due to her advanced age.
Researchers probably won’t know the calf’s gender for many months, until they are able to see and photograph the calf’s ventral markings.
The Southern Resident community was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2005, after dropping in population to only 78 members, but had recently lost a pregnant female, J32 Rhapsody, bring their numbers down to only 77 members. This birth brings the So. Residents up to 78.
Most of J pod was seen on December 24 west of Orcas Island, but J16, known as Slick, and her family were not among them. Then on December 26th the Orca Network Sightings Network received a photograph of J16’s oldest offspring, 23-year old J26 (Mike), and another orca off the north end of Lopez Island, indicating that J16 was probably nearby, because maternal families remain in close proximity their entire lives.
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My heart is overjoyed! What a gift for the new year. I’ve been so saddened by the loss of Rhapsody this Fall, as well as her baby to be. This gives me such hope for these wise and benevolent guardians of the Salish Sea.
What a great way to end 2014…a New Year baby, in its tuxedo, greeting us, changing tears to joy. It was so dispiriting to hear of J32’s loss; a double loss of Mom and baby. This news is so encouraging. Now to work on improving the food chain, and helping Soundwatch to keep idiots who don’t observe the distance guidelines for whale watching from harassing our population. (And, Granny,a special attagirl to you.)
Thanks to all those Orca Network hard workers, for this gift!
WOW! What a beautiful, heart-lifting gift for the New Year! All of Mother Earth’s babies lift our Spirits and call on us to do better in order for them to have a future.
PERFECT New Year’s gift to all of us! Hopefully harbinger of more babies to come.