Baby sea creature spotted swimming with potential mom off WA. See adorable photo
A baby sea creature popped up just in time to bring a little holiday joy to the whale-watching world in Washington.
Adorable photos show the orca calf swimming alongside a killer whale that is most likely its mother in the Puget Sound area, the Center for Whale Research said on Facebook on Dec. 21.
Although the center has not yet been able to meet the calf to confirm its identity, officials seemed hesitantly excited by the prospect of the new pod member.
“Many of you may have seen the rumors and photos circulating about a potential new calf spotted with J Pod,” The Whale Museum said on Facebook, noting that the Center for Whale Research is the only organization authorized to make official confirmations about the Southern Resident orca population. “If confirmed, this would be incredibly exciting news!”
It can take multiple encounters for the center’s research team to assess the killer whales and make such determinations, including assigning a designation for the new orca and determining who the calf’s mother is, the center said.
“While we do not have much more information to share at this time, we are looking forward to our next encounter with J Pod to officially announce the calf and mother’s identification,” the group said.
A potential new calf would be good news for the dwindling pod of endangered sea creatures. A 31-year-old orca was recently added to the missing killer whales list when he wasn’t spotted swimming with his family for the third time straight in October, McClatchy News previously reported.
Researchers also didn’t see a baby orca belonging to the L pod during the Oct. 29 encounter, McClatchy News reported.
The disappearances brought the Southern Resident population down to 72, which is its lowest since 2020, McClatchy News reported.
That’s why “every single birth counts,” the Center for Whale Research said in the post.
“These whales need enough fish to be able to support themselves and their calves,” officials said. “We continue to advocate for salmon recovery through habitat restoration, removal of dams, and rational management of fisheries in the Pacific Northwest.”
Several people in the comments rejoiced at the exciting news, especially in the wake of the recent disappearances.
“Best news in a long time,” someone said.
“I’m so hopeful,” another person said.
Some hoped the new calf would survive.
“Let’s just hope this one makes it…” someone said.
“Good luck little one…you are coming into a tough world,” someone else said.
This story was originally published December 24, 2024 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Baby sea creature spotted swimming with potential mom off WA. See adorable photo."
