Newborn orca spotted

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 23, 2026

The Center for Whale Research confirmed this week that L-pod, the largest of the Southern Resident killer whale pods at 35 whales, had grown to 36. Baby L130, who has a unique eye patch that almost looks like eyelashes, was spotted with the pod during the CWR’s whale encounter on June 14. Maternity has yet to be determined.

This is the second encounter of the year where a newborn was spotted with L-pod. L129 was seen during an encounter on Feb. 16, although no follow-up information has been shared since then. Congrats, L’s!