In good news for J-pod, new killer whale calf is a female
The Center for Whale Research says it has confirmed a new killer whale calf in a pod of endangered orcas that live off B.C.'s southwest coast is female.
It's a piece of good news for J-pod, after the recent death of another calf whose mother carried the carcass for days in what researchers said was a display of grief.
The Washington state-based organization said on social media that the new calf known as J62 was seen on Feb. 8 off the San Juan Island, and researchers were able to photograph her belly and confirm her sex.
The group says the calf appears to be doing well and is "filling out nicely."
The centre has previously said that new females are important for southern resident killer whales as they are "largely limited by the number of reproductively aged females."
The post this week also said researchers were able to confirm the adult female J35, or Tahlequah, is no longer carrying the body of her dead calf, which she started pushing around on Jan. 1.
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CBC
20-02-2025
- CBC
In good news for J-pod, new killer whale calf is a female
The Center for Whale Research says it has confirmed a new killer whale calf in a pod of endangered orcas that live off B.C.'s southwest coast is female. It's a piece of good news for J-pod, after the recent death of another calf whose mother carried the carcass for days in what researchers said was a display of grief. The Washington state-based organization said on social media that the new calf known as J62 was seen on Feb. 8 off the San Juan Island, and researchers were able to photograph her belly and confirm her sex. The group says the calf appears to be doing well and is "filling out nicely." The centre has previously said that new females are important for southern resident killer whales as they are "largely limited by the number of reproductively aged females." The post this week also said researchers were able to confirm the adult female J35, or Tahlequah, is no longer carrying the body of her dead calf, which she started pushing around on Jan. 1.
CBC
17-01-2025
- CBC
Famous mother orca still carrying body of 2nd dead calf
Social Sharing A mother killer whale whose calf died more than two weeks ago was spotted recently in waters off Victoria, B.C., still carrying the carcass of her newborn. The Center for Whale Research spotted the southern resident killer whale, named Tahlequah, or J35, on Jan. 10, nine days after she was first seen pushing her dead calf while she swam. She's the same whale that made world headlines in 2018 when she spent 17 days carrying her first dead newborn calf around in a similar manner. In a Facebook post on Thursday, the centre said J35 was most recently seen swimming next to another whale in her pod, and that the pair were not far off from several other J pod members. They were located between Vancouver Island and San Juan Island in Washington state. The post detailing the sighting says observers "were not seeing much of the carcass … but J35 appeared to be trying to keep it from sinking." Concern for mom's health Researchers have said the behaviour is an apparent act of grief, and that J35 has now lost two of her four documented calves. The new female calf had been spotted on Dec. 21, but was reported to have died around New Year's Eve. J35 was then seen on Jan. 1, pushing her calf's carcass around, draped over the top of her head as she swam. Researchers expressed concern for J35's health in a news conference after the Jan. 1 sighting, noting how much effort it would take for J35 to carry her calf in such a manner. "That essentially results in a lot more drag [as she swims], and so her energy expenditure is going to be fairly significant," said Brad Hanson, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
CBC
03-01-2025
- CBC
Famous orca mother carrying body of another dead calf in act of grief: researchers
A mother killer whale who famously pushed the body of her dead newborn for 17 days in 2018 has lost another calf, and researchers say she is again carrying the body in an apparent act of grief. The Center for Whale Research said in a New Year's Day post on social media that the mother known as Tahlequah, or J35, has now lost two of her four documented calves. The centre had announced on Dec. 21 that the new female calf was travelling with J pod in Puget Sound near Seattle, on the northwest coast of Washington state. The pod also frequents British Columbia waters. But the organization expressed concern about the calf's health, and on Wednesday confirmed the calf had died, although a second apparently healthy newborn was also observed with the pod. Brad Hanson, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center, told a news conference Thursday that researchers are not yet sure why the calf died, but a necropsy likely won't be possible. "Given that J35 is very attached to it, the likelihood of us being able to recover the calf is fairly low," he said. Hanson said researchers are concerned about Tahlequah's welfare as she continues to carry the calf's body, draped over the top of her head. "That essentially results in a lot more drag, and so her energy expenditure is going to be fairly significant," he said, noting it may also make foraging difficult during a time of year when fish availability is more limited. "It is a concern that she was spending a lot of energy to try to take care of this calf that she has lost." But, he said, she is not lagging behind her pod. "She's still integrated as part of the group." The Center for Whale Research, based in Washington state, says the death of any calf among the endangered southern resident killer whale population is "a tremendous loss," but the latest is "particularly devastating" because she was a female and because of J35's history. Michael Weiss, research director for the centre, told the news conference that other southern resident orcas have been observed carrying dead calves before, but not for weeks as J35 did in 2018. "It's usually been kind of one-off observations within a particular encounter, as opposed to multiple weeks," he said. Joe Gaydos, the science director for marine conservation program SeaDoc Society, said "it is fair to say that she is grieving, or mourning." "Over the last few years, we realized that we have the same neurotransmitters that they have," he said of the whales. "I think it's fair to say from a scientific perspective that they have the same hard wiring, [so] they're going to have the same emotions." The research centre said the sex and mother of the other recent newborn calf have not yet been identified, but it appears "physically and behaviourally normal." Southern resident orcas along the West Coast are categorized into three families known as the J, K and L pods, each of which has its own dialect and calls that differ from the others. There are also transient orcas in the region known as Bigg's killer whales, which feed primarily on marine mammals. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Parks Canada, in consultation with Transport Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, completed an assessment of the southern resident population last year, finding the population had dwindled to 73, with only 23 breeding females.
