A new orca whale calf is seen near Sooke, B.C., on Monday, September 7, 2015. The new calf, named L122, was spotted Monday by members of the Center for Whale Research. The baby orca was swimming with her mother L91, a 20-year-old orca.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Center for Whale Research, Dave Ellifrit
September 09, 2015 - 7:00 AM
SOOKE, B.C. - Scientists say a fifth baby has joined an endangered population of killer whales off British Columbia's coast.
The newest calf in the L pod was spotted frolicking with its mother yesterday near Sooke.
The Washington state-based Center for Whale Research says the baby dubbed L122 is the newest member of the pod since last December.
It says the calf was photographed from a research vessel and measured using a drone that was already doing work on southern resident killer whales.
That population is made up of three pods — J, K and L.
The center's senior scientist Ken Balcomb says only 35 of the 122 southern resident whales born in the area in the last 40 years are still alive.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015