Whaaaaa?! Another Baby Orca?

When officials counted the orcas in Puget Sound earlier this year, they noted that several of them appeared to be pregnant.

They were right. Yet another baby orca has been spotted – the eighth born to the pods that make up the southern resident orcas.

This one has joined the J pod.

The Center For Whale Research reports that the baby, designated J54, was seen in the waters off San Juan Island.

This the second baby for the 22-year-old mother, J28.

The baby's sex is not yet known.

The announcement of this baby comes less than two weeks after a seventh calf was spotted, that one in the L pod.

Now 84 orcas are in the endangered population that lives in the waters of Western Washington and southern British Columbia.

“We thought seven was pretty lucky, but having eight calves in this population is exciting," Michael Harris, executive director of Pacific Whale Watch Association, said in a statement. "None of us expected a year like the one we just had. But we can expect tough times ahead for these whales."