J-pod鈥檚 newest member is a girl.

On May 26, Center for Whale Research staff encountered J-pod during a photo-ID and aerial observation survey. During this encounter, the team managed to capture photographs and drone footage of the pod鈥檚 youngest member, J59. From this, the team was able to determine the new calf is a girl.

鈥淗aving another female is good news for the southern residents; the population鈥檚 growth is largely limited by the number of reproductively aged females. While one calf won鈥檛 save the population, we hope that J59 can grow to adulthood and contribute to future generations of southern residents,鈥� the centre said in a statement.

The new calf was discovered on March 1, but researchers weren鈥檛 able to determine her sex at that time.

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