‘She’s Clearly Reacting to a Loss’: Experts Say Killer Whale Carrying Her Dead Calf for 17 Days May Actually Be Grieving

A mother orca whale is still carrying the body of her calf 17 days after it died, in what some experts say may be an unprecedented testament to the strength of the species’ familial bonds. The whale, known as Tahlequah or J35, is one of just 75 Southern Resident killer whales left in the ocean, and her calf — which died minutes after it was born last month — was the group’s first live birth since 2015. Tahlequah has been spotted in waters off the Pacific Northwest multiple times over the past two weeks, often pushing her calf’s corpse through the water or swimming with it balancing on her forehead. Other members of the pod have even taken turns carrying its body. The heartbreaking display of apparent grief has captivated onlookers — and stymied experts. The Southern Resident killer whales’ endangered status and cultural significance in both the U.S. and Canada has made them arguably the most studied whales in the world, says Peter Ross, a killer whale expert and vice president of research at conservation group Ocean Wise. But despite that close observation, Ross says, experts haven’t seen anything like this before, which makes it all the more noteworthy. “This is unusual behavior,” Ross says. “It’s not normal. We haven’t seen it before. What it means — who knows?” Dennis Christen, senior director of zoological operations at the Georgia Aquarium, says the strong bonds between mother whal...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized onetime Wildlife Source Type: news