During our 2021 field session we observed Snow Woman traveling with and nursing a calf who was several months old. They were seen together on three days, either in one another’s immediate company or in relatively close proximity. The little whale was a male and already had a more squared or angular head shape. His gender was confirmed after video review of imagery collected that year.

During the field session, the precarious calf was observed briefly swimming on his own on two occasions. He was also observed in the company of Ariel and her slightly older male calf friend, whose identity we are working to confirm.

In 2022, it appeared that Snow Woman’s son was the only one of the three calves born in 2021 to have survived. By then, Unit A had split into definitive subgroups, with Snow Woman and her calf making up part of A2. The little calf had formed an even closer bond to Ariel and the two were frequently seen swimming and playing together. 

All of the adults in Unit A2 participate in the caretaking of this sweet, inquisitive calf. His bold and curious nature can be seen through his expressive eye contact and body language in the images below.