Good news for the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, a new calf has been spotted. J-56, the newest member of the J-Pod, was spotted by whale watchers in Tofino on Thursday.
The calf is the baby of J-41 and this is the 14 year old's second baby. She was just 10 when she gave birth to J-51, which Michael Harris, Whale Expert, and Producer, Photojournalist and Wildlife Specialist for ABC News, says is odd. He says Orcas tend to mature around the same age as humans, and would have their first calf between 13 and 15 years old.
Despite being a very early birth, that gave researchers quite a lot of cause for concern, J-51 continues to do well.
The discovery of J-56, whose sex is unknown, brings the population of Resident Orcas up to 76.