<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/whale" rel="" target="" title="orca "><span>orca </span></a><span>who swam with her dead calf for 17 days in an apparent act of grieving recently gave birth to a new baby, according to Michael Weiss, research director of the Center for Whale Research.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The calf born to Tahlequah, known to researchers as J35, was </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/cUFZeCYxpJRBkh1e/" rel="" target="" title=""><span>first spotted on December 20</span></a><span> swimming along with J pod in the Puget Sound area for the past several days.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Initially, the researchers could not confirm the identity of the calf with certainty.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/bushfire-updates-south-australia-victoria-christmas/50f1abc4-3459-4ae9-b935-5f12b57995f1" rel="" target="" title="Grassfire breaks out in Adelaide's north amid warnings of Christmas danger"><strong><span>Grassfire breaks out in Adelaide's north amid warnings of Christmas danger</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Monday, however, scientists and researchers observing the calf "confidently" assigned Tahlequah as the mother and the baby as alpha-numeric J61, Weiss said to CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Friday, a nature enthusiast and photographer who captured the calf — without first realizing it — told 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.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/orca-whale-calf-new-baby/f4690c09-dea5-470a-b322-4cddf0addb94" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/alaska-airlines-passenger-wing/f4931782-6e9c-4a84-9cb3-7bd0dcc1491f"><strong><span>Passenger 'opens door, steps out on wing of plane' in US</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Based on the size and colour of the calf, I realized it was a new calf and traveling with J35, my spark whale, the whale that started my obsession."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Center for Whale Research said in a post on Facebook that they were able to photograph the calf's underside, "confirming that the calf is a female."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The mother first made headlines in 2018 when she swam about 1,000 miles of ocean with the body of her calf, which died a few hours after birth, preventing it from sinking for more than two weeks. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She had her first known baby since that incident, J57, two years later in 2020. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She is also a mother to another orca, J47.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/north-avoca-search-person-swept-off-rocks-central-coast/3adc5741-c0a2-427b-9ded-8f202eac292f"><strong><span>'Tragic': Tough conditions hamper ocean search for missing teen</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While the new baby news is joyous and hopeful, researchers are still concerned about the Southern Resident killer whale population. T</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>hey are listed as endangered in Canada and are "one of the most critically endangered populations of marine mammals in the USA," according to researchers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The team, including multiple experienced killer whale researchers, have expressed concern about the calf's health based on the behaviour of both J35 and J61," the Center for Whale Research said in a </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/iBoBbdtCPBUGX7q1/"><span>post on Facebook</span></a><span> on Tuesday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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 post read.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to Orca Conservancy on X, worrying behaviour had been observed concerning the calf.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The calf had also been observed being pushed around on J35's head and was not looking lively, which is a concern, but also added calf behaviour is not fully understood," the </span><a href="https://x.com/OrcaConservancy/status/1871684671916085336"><span>post read</span></a><span>. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"All of this serves as a reminder that in order for new calves, salmon stocks need to be recovered to levels that will help support population growth."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to researchers, the Southern Resident population grew during the late 1970s to mid-1990s, peaking at 98 animals. </span></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2021/06/09/14/52/mysterious-creatures-of-the-deep"><img alt="" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/L70m8ko9zIr4QvA-In3vNpJGFRA=/0x0:3304x1858/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F20aa3df2-75ea-4b23-bf66-d8be20e48c56" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/L70m8ko9zIr4QvA-In3vNpJGFRA=/0x0:3304x1858/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F20aa3df2-75ea-4b23-bf66-d8be20e48c56 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/lp4Zls9tKR-mMBcZMbp4xL_6Wrs=/0x0:3304x1858/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F20aa3df2-75ea-4b23-bf66-d8be20e48c56 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">First-of-its-kind predator discovered 8000km underwater</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2021/06/09/14/52/mysterious-creatures-of-the-deep">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This year, the population census counted 73 whales.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Center for Whale Research said in a </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/cUFZeCYxpJRBkh1e/"><span>post</span></a><span> on Facebook "The Southern Resident killer whale population needs ample access to their food supply, mainly salmon, to survive and thrive. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Every single birth counts and these whales need enough fish to be able to support themselves and their calves."</span></div></div>