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October 3, 2025
Images courtesy of our amazing crew member Rajan
You’ve seen it here first: there’s a brand-new calf making a splash in the Salish Sea! On October 2nd, our team spotted T046B1D, still unnamed, enjoying life alongside its mother, T046B1 “Tread.” Tread is no stranger to motherhood: she’s the eldest daughter of the well-known matriarch Raksha (T046B), and this little one is her fourth calf. Each new calf is a cause for celebration, adding strength to the family line and hope for the continued health of the Bigg’s killer whale population.
If you’ve seen photos, you might notice that the calf looks a little different from the sleek black-and-white adults. Right now, its skin carries a faint orange hue, a common trait for newborn orcas. This colouring comes from thinner skin and less-developed blubber. Over the coming months, as the calf grows and builds up its insulating blubber layer, the orange will fade into the classic black-and-white pattern characteristic of adults.
During our sighting, the young calf stayed close to its mom, surfacing and diving with the boundless energy of a newborn. For Tread, this means teaching her calf the ways of the ocean, from hunting skills to navigating the tight-knit social world of Bigg’s orcas.
Every new birth is exciting, but also important. Killer whales live in complex family groups where knowledge is passed from one generation to the next. Each calf strengthens the bonds within the pod and adds to the resilience of the population as a whole. For those of us lucky enough to witness these moments, it’s a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting the Salish Sea and its incredible wildlife.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for T046B1D as it grows, and we look forward to sharing updates as this little whale develops its personality and finds its place in the family. For now, we celebrate the joy of new life in the waters we love so much.
