The orca that swam with her dead calf for 17 days in an apparent act of grief recently gave birth to a new baby, according to Michael Weiss, research director at the Center for Whale Research.
The calf born by Tahlequah, known to researchers as J35, was first spotted on December 20 swimming with the group in the following days.
Initially, researchers were unable to confirm the cub’s identity with certainty. However, on Monday, scientists and researchers observing the calf “confidently confirmed” that Tahlequah was the mother and the baby was identified as J61, Weiss told CNN .
On Friday (20), a nature enthusiast and photographer who captured the cub – without realizing it initially – told CNN : “My first reaction upon seeing the puppy was complete shock. I was just looking at my photos to see who the whales were that passed near the left side of the ferry I was on and I noticed a much smaller dorsal fin in one of the photos.
As I scrolled through the photos, I realized it was a very small cub, much smaller than any other known cub in the group. Based on the size and color of the calf, I could tell it was a new calf and was traveling with J35, my favorite whale, the whale that started my obsession.”
The Center for Whale Research said in a Facebook post that it was able to photograph the underside of the calf, “confirming that the calf is female.”
The mother first made headlines in 2018 when she swam nearly 1,000 miles with the body of her calf, which died just hours after birth, preventing the body from sinking for more than two weeks. She had her first known calf since that incident, J57, two years later in 2020. She is also the mother of another orca, J47.
While the news of the new baby is joyful and hopeful, researchers are still concerned about the Southern Resident killer whale population. They are listed as endangered in Canada and are “one of the most critically endangered populations of marine mammals in the U.S.,” according to according to the researchers.
“The team, including several experienced orca researchers, expressed concerns about the health of the calf based on the behavior of both J35 and J61,” the Center for Whale Research said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“Early life is always dangerous for puppies, with a very high mortality rate in the first year. J35 is an experienced mother and we hope she can keep J61 alive through these difficult first days,” the post read.
According to the Orca Conservancy on X, concerning behavior was observed towards the calf.
“The cub was also observed being pushed by J35’s head and was not showing signs of vitality, which is a concern, but cub behavior is not yet fully understood,” the post read. “All of this serves as a reminder that for new fry, salmon populations need to recover to levels that help support population growth.”
According to researchers, the southern resident orca population grew between the late 1970s and mid-1990s, reaching a peak of 98 animals. This year, the population census counted 73 whales.
The Center for Whale Research said in a Facebook post: “The Southern Resident killer whale population needs broad access to its food source, particularly salmon, to survive and thrive. Every birth is important and these whales need enough fish to sustain themselves and feed their calves.”
This content was originally published in Orca carried dead calf for 17 days and now has a new baby on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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