Scientists in Norway have witnessed the birth of a baby orca in the wild for the first time, revealed in photos.
Researchers were observing a pod of killer whales (Orcinus orca) off the coast of Skjarvoj in the Arctic Circle during a whale watching trip when the water around them suddenly turned bright red with blood.
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“At first I had no idea what was going on,” Balotey wrote in the post. “The next moment we saw a little head pop out of the water. As it turned out, the female had given birth right next to us.”
Immediately after the calf was born, the rest of the group formed a protective circle around the calf. The orcas, mostly females and young, appeared to be unusually energetic and forcefully pushing their newborns toward the surface, which initially worried the team on the boat.
“We observed them carrying their calves on their backs and holding them above the water for air,” Barotai wrote. “I didn’t know if he was alive or not.”
Scientists from the Norwegian Killer Whale Survey, a research and conservation organization, flew a drone over the killer whales to get a closer look. Research representatives wrote in a Facebook post on Nov. 3 that they had asked the five other whale-watching vessels at the scene to clear the area so the animals could calm down.
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Drone footage showed the calf struggling to float for the first 15 minutes of its life, but was doing well after that.
“The mother was identified as NKW-591, a known female first identified in 2013,” the agent wrote. “She’s an experienced mother because she’s had multiple children.”
The calf’s dorsal fin was bent, which is to be expected within hours of a newborn emerging from the womb, Balotey noted in a post on Orca Channel. “It was amazing to see something like this in the wild,” she added.
Representatives from the Norwegian Killer Whale Research wrote on Facebook that this is the first time that an orca born in the wild has been recorded for its first hour of life. The researchers tracked the killer whales until after dark, keeping a distance of more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) to avoid disturbing the animals. “We also ensured the protection of the whale’s habitat by preventing further boat access,” they said.
Norwegian Killer Whale Research hopes to re-encounter this pod and its calf in the coming weeks. In the meantime, researchers plan to collate data collected during and after birth for the study.
“Documenting calf survival remains one of the core objectives of our long-term research,” they said.
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