The biggest new year baby in the area is making waves in Juan de Fuca Strait. A slightly wrinkled J Pod killer whale calf was spotted near San Juan Island Jan. 3 and is believed to have been born within the previous 48 hours.

“It still had its fetal folds, so it was probably a New Year’s baby,” said Ken Balcomb, executive director of the Center for Whale Research, based in Friday Harbor, Wash.

The birth is the sixth over the last year for the three endangered southern resident killer whale pods, bringing the total number of animals to 88.

However, the moment of truth will come in late spring when researchers do a head count to see which whales made it through the winter. About 50 per cent of killer whale calves die within the first year.

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