Tahlequah, an orca that carried her dead calf for 17 days and 1,000 miles, gives birth again

There's a new member of the Southern Resident killer whale family, a species that's fighting extinction with less than 100 known creatures in existence.

Tahlequah, an orca that grabbed the nation's attention when she carried her dead calf for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles in 2018, has now given birth, bringing the known population of Southern Resident killer whales to 73. 

The calf, which is thought to have been born on Sept. 4, is welcome news for an endangered species that experiences a large amount of failed pregnancies. After birth, 40% of young calves die, according to the Center for Whale Research.

The newborn, dubbed J57, appeared healthy while swimming alongside its mother, Tahlequah, or J35, near the coasts of Canada and Washington state in its second day of free-swimming life, the group said.

"We hope this calf is a success story," the group said Sunday in a press release.

Ken Balcomb, founder for the Center for Whale Research, said J57 looked "very robust and lively" and that he has good expectations the calf will survive, the New York Times reported.

Tahlequah is among the endangered Southern Resident orca (often called "killer whale") population that frequents the Salish Sea — near British Columbia and Washington state.

"With such a small population ... every successful birth is hugely important for recovery," wrote Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research in a July press release that confirmed the identification of pregnant SRKWs through drone photos.

Both of Tahlequah's pregnancies have gathered attention. Although her 2018 calf died shortly after it was born, the baby was the first for the whales in three years.

The Southern Residents since had two calves, but Tahlequah's newborn carries special meaning for a region that grieved the death of her calf with her — during those 17 days two years ago.  

A nearby resident recounted watching Tahlequah with other mourning orcas.

“At sunset, a group of five to six females gathered at the mouth of the cove in a close, tight-knit circle, staying at the surface in a harmonious circular motion for nearly two hours," a resident reported at the time, according to the whale center. After dark, "they stayed directly centered in the moonbeam, even as it moved."

Contributing: Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY; Associated Press

Wild temperature drop:September snowstorm wallops Denver, a day after temps in the 90s