In good news for B.C. killer whales, recent orca calf is female

The Centre for Whale Research has confirmed a new killer whale calf in a pod of endangered orcas that live off the southwest coast of British Columbia is female. In this Jan. 18, 2014, file photo, endangered orcas from the J-pod swim in Puget Sound west of Seattle, as seen from a federal research vessel that had been tracking the whales. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

The Centre for Whale Research says it has confirmed a new killer whale calf in a pod of endangered orcas that live off southwest British Columbia is female.

It’s a piece of good news for J-pod, after the recent death of another calf whose mother pushed the carcass for days in what researchers said was a display of grief.

The Washington state-based organization says 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 says 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 Jan. 1.

Researchers have previously said the behaviour is an apparent act of grief, and that J35 has now lost two of her four documented calves.

She captured headlines worldwide when she pushed the remains of another calf for 17 days in 2018.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2025.

The Canadian Press