— by Gary Chittim of https://www.king5.com/ via Crosscut.com —
Orca experts say it is possible that one or more orcas acted as midwives during the birth of a calf last week.
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research confirmed the birth of the calf in the J-pod of the endangered southern resident orcas. He also identified the calf’s mother as J16.
Each orca is identified by its pod letter followed a number indicating the order of its birth.
On Thursday, Balcomb is questioning whether J16, which has been seen swimming with baby, is the actual mother. He explained that J16 is approximately 43 years old, which is beyond the normal age of a productive female killer whale.
To read the full article and see the video, go to www.king5.com//local/2015/01/01/orca-mother-mystery/
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