Tahlequahthe killer whale endangered animal that lives in the northwest of the United States and that made headlines in 2018 for carrying its dead calf for more than two weeks, is doing it again after the death of its new calf, in another sign of mourning for the loss of their offspringas reported by researchers from the Whale Research Center.
The orca mother, also identified by researchers as J35, has been seen carrying the body of the deceased female calf since Wednesday, according to the Whale Research Center based in Washington state (USA) posted on Facebook. “The entire team is deeply saddened by this news,” the post said.
According to the cnnher new offspring, a female known as J61 by the experts, it was first seen on December 20 in the Puget Sound area on the northwest coast of Washington state. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) later confirmed the sighting on December 23, according to Dr. Michael Weiss, research director at the Whale Research Center. But tragically, On New Year’s Eve the death of the calf was confirmedadded the researcher.
Researchers reported that until at least January 5, Tahlequah was still carrying her calf, said Brad Hanson, a biologist with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Hanson, who was able to observe their behavior from a boat, indicated that J35 was carrying the corpse of the calf. on his snout or on his headand which seemed to dive to pick it up when it sank to the surface. He also noted that the calf was only alive “a handful of days.”
Tahlequah pushes the body of the deceased calf, which weighs around 136 kilos, with its snout to keep it close and prevent the ocean from carrying the body away. “Just like last time, I think it is enough to recognize How strong is the bond between mother and calf in orcas? and see that she’s clearly not ready to let go,” Weiss told the cnn.
In 2018, researchers observed J35 pushing another dead calf for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles. The calf had died shortly after birthand the mother and her closest group of whales were seen taking turns carrying the dead body.
It is worth mentioning that similar behaviors can be observed in other animals with social cohesion that have a relatively long life expectancy, such as primates and dolphins, the researchers recalled.
one in five
Orca calf mortality is high: Only about one in five orca pregnancies results in a calf that lives to its first year, according to data from the Whale Research Center. Its research director, Michael Weiss, estimated that only 50% of orca calves survive their first year. The center noted that the death of J35’s calf was devastating, not only because she could have eventually grown to give birth and bolster a struggling population, but because J35 has already lost two of her four documented calves.
The southern killer whale population—three groups of fish-eating killer whales that frequent the waters between Washington state and British Columbia—has been struggling for decades, with only 73 orcas. They must deal with a shortage of their favorite prey, Chinook salmon, as well as pollution and boat noise, which make their hunting tasks difficult. Researchers have warned that they are on the verge of extinction.
Other southern killer whales have been observed carrying their dead calves, Weiss said, “but certainly not for as long as J35 carried her calf in 2018.”
However, there was good news for the J-pack: officials and scientists They observed another new calf aliveJ62. Southern resident killer whales are endangered and are distinguished from other killer whales because they eat salmon instead of marine mammals.
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