This isnt a photo of the new baby orca, but imagine this lil calf with unique orangish color on the white areas.
This isn't a photo of the new baby orca, but imagine this lil' calf with "unique orangish color on the white areas." Monika Wieland/Shutterstock

Stop paying attention to those llamas. (Although, yes, we should all acknowledge this.) There's a new baby orca!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration caught a glimpse of a new, good-looking calf belonging to L pod off the Washington Coast yesterday, near Westport in Grays Harbor County. L94, the 20-year-old whale also known as Calypso, is believed to be the mother. Calypso also gave birth to one other calf called Cousteau (L133), who first showed up in 2009.

Looks like Cousteau just got a little brother or sister. This one has a "unique orangish color on the white areas" and looks "very energetic," NOAA reports.

The number of Southern Resident whales has dropped from 200 to 80 over the last century, and conservationists are working hard to aid in their recovery. But the whales still face significant threats to their survival—like the diminished availability of Chinook salmon, vessel and noise effects, and contaminants like flame retardants and PCBs—according to research wildlife biologist Marla Holt at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The fact that they're a small group and socialize closely also makes them vulnerable, Holt adds, especially in the event of something like an oil spill.

"Every individual that we can add to this population is something to be excited about, but tentatively so, because we know that the first year of life is pretty tough," Holt says. "There's a good chance [the new calf will] survive, but there's a good chance it won't."

According to Holt, it's best to reserve judgment about the new orca until after it survives a year. Go, little baby orca, go!