A baby orca was seen swimming with K pod Tuesday, possibly bumping the endangered Southern resident killer whale population to 88.

The bump in the population depends on the calf's survival in its precarious first year, and on the appearance of K-7, possibly the oldest orca among the J, K and L pods. K-7 was not seen when the pod swam past Snug Harbor Tuesday.

Ken Balcomb, director of the Center for Whale Research, said K-7 is believed to have been born in 1910. J-2, also known as "Granny," is believed to have been born about the same time, give or take a year.

K-7's status won't be confirmed until the center is able to have more contact with the pods.

All told, there are 25 whales in J pod, 19 in K pod, and 43 in L. The gender breakdown is about three adult females for every adult male.

The Southern residents are so called because they spend a lot of the year in this region. J is here much of the year, while K and L travel as far as California but return in the summer. Before they were sighted off the west side of San Juan Island June 3, K and L pods were last seen Jan. 27 off Monterey, Calif., and on Feb. 29 off Sekiu, Wash., according to the Center for Whale Research.

On June 3, Center for Whale Research staff members Kelley Balcomb-Bartok and Erin Heydenreich observed J, K, and L pods for about four and a half hours off the west side of the island.

"The whales were first reported off the south end of San Juan Island at around 8 a.m., then slowly travelled north up the coast of the island in tight social groups," they reported.

"Center for Whale Research staff encountered the whales off Bellevue Point as they swam in three large, tight and tactile groups very close to the shoreline. Staff confirmed that members of K pod and L pod were among the playful social groups, though it has not been determined yet if all the whales from the Southern Resident population were present.

"During the encounter a small calf was observed swimming in close proximity to sisters K-14 and K-16, both reproductive age females. Later in the encounter, staff determined that the calf was indeed a new calf in K-pod, and observed the calf primarily traveling very near K-14 and her older offspring K-26 and K-36."

• Civil
• Smart
• On-topic
• Free from profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.

As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.

Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.