A video filmed off the Oregon coast may have captured a new southern resident killer whale calf in the group known as K Pod.
The Guide’s Forecast posted the video by John Goodell on YouTube this week. It was filmed on April 28 in waters near Pacific City, roughly two hours’ drive southwest from Portland.
The Washington-based Center for Whale Research said Monday it appears to show “a very young calf associating with K20,” and is the first “viable baby” born into K Pod since 2011.
“CWR plans to document the calf during our photographic surveys so that we can assess its health, confirm the identity of its mother, and assign it an alphanumeric designation,” it said in a post to its Facebook page.
“The mortality rate for young calves is very high, but we are pulling for this little whale and hope to see it soon.”
In a post to its own website, the group Wild Orca said its research assistant, Melisa Pinnow, has confirmed the identity of the whales in the group, including mother K20.
K20, who is 36 years old, has experienced multiple pregnancies over the past decade, the group wrote, and she was photographed while heavily pregnant in August 2020. She has not been seen with a live calf since 2004, however — K38 Comet, who is now 18 years old.
“I am beyond thrilled to learn that K20 is a mom again,” Wild Orca science and research director Deborah Giles said in a statement. “She’s been my favorite whale for decades, and the fact that she’s been pregnant so many times without bringing a calf to full term in recent years, this is huge.”
A new calf was also born into the J Pod this year. The youngster was spotted in March with mother J37 near Kelp Reef off San Juan Island.
It was the first calf born to J Pod since September 2020. As of September 2021, two other members of the J Pod were pregnant.
There are about 74 southern resident killer whales left in the world, while a growing population of around 300 northern residents are considered threatened, but not endangered.
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