Killer whale mom who carried her dead baby for 17 days gives birth to new calf
The bereaved whale mother who made headlines when she heartbreakingly grieved her dead baby for more than two weeks has given birth to a new calf, scientists said.
The mama orca, named J35 by researchers, was unable to let her calf go in 2018, carrying her baby’s lifeless body with her along a one-thousand-mile grief journey.
But last Friday, scientists spotted the devoted mom with a new female calf in the Puget Sound, according to a Facebook post from the Center for Whale Research.
By Monday scientists were confident the new little calf, called J61, belonged to J35.
A nature enthusiast and photographer was excited when they realized they had photographed the tiny dorsal fin of the newborn peaking out of the water, according to CNN.
“My first reaction to seeing the calf was complete shock. I was just looking through my photos to see who the whales were that passed close to the port side of the ferry I was on and noticed a much smaller dorsal on one of the photos,” the person told the news outlet.
“As I scrolled through the series I realized it was very tiny calf, much smaller than any of the known young ones in the group. Based on the size and color of the calf, I realized it was a new calf and traveling with J35, my spark whale, the whale that started my obsession,” they said.
The brand new baby will need help from her mom to survive the perilous first weeks of life for baby whales.
“Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year. J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days,” the Facebook post from the Center for Whale Research said.
The calf was spotted being pushed around by her mom Tuesday and didn’t look lively, but the behavior of whale babies is not well understood, according to a post on X from the Orca Conservancy.
Scientists said access to salmon, the whales’ main food source, is imperative for the survival of the large mammals.
“Every single birth counts and these whales need enough fish to be able to support themselves and their calves,” the Center for Whale Research’s Facebook post said.
This is the second baby J35 has given birth to since she famously lost her other baby in 2018. In 2020 J35 was seen with another newborn.
The mother whale is part of a critically endangered pod of whales who live in the Pacific Northwest and roam the Pacific Ocean between Washington state and British Columbia.
Killer whales have strong social ties and continue to help their children even after they are fully grown, according to researchers.
As of December 2023, the J-pod of whales had 75 members, according to whale researchers who have been monitoring the pod of whales since the 1970s.
