Famous Mother Orca Seen Carrying Dead Calf For Second Time

People are not the only ones who feel sad because of the death of their loved ones. Whale researchers have just documented a mother orca holding her recently deceased calf—something many experts believe is an example of a whale cry.

Scientists at the Center for Whale Research report which appeared Wednesday in a Facebook post, involving a female orca named J35 and her dead calf, named J61. This is the second time in seven years that J35, also known as Tahlequah, has been seen carrying one of his dead cows. Although the exact nature of this behavior is not fully understood, some marine scientists believe that J35 is mourning the death of her child.

“I think it’s safe to say they’re sad or crying,” Joe Gaydos, director of science at SeaDoc at the University of California, Davis, said. he said Friday AP.

Tahlequah is not only a whale who has been seen to show a behavior similar to grief, but may be more prominent. In 2018, scientists documented that Tahlequah carried her dead calf for 17 days across more than 1,000 kilometers (1,600 miles) of water. Not only did Tahlequah carry the calf much longer than other whales seen doing the same thing, but there were places where other members of her close-knit species were also seen taking turns carrying the calf.

Some animals with large populations also appear to be able to cry, which may be closely related to the death of their young. Elephants have been seen to bury their dead cattle, for example, where the female parts of different species of monkeys have been documents they are holding their little ones like Tahlequah and her cattle.

J61’s death is particularly tragic given the plight of orcas in the region. Although orcas can be found all over the world in good health, southern killer whales that live in the Pacific Northwest are in danger. So this death could jeopardize the long-term survival of the Tahlequah pod. Orca calves often have a rough environment. According to the Center for Whale Research, about 50 percent of calves survive their first year of life.

The researchers received the first reports about the arrival of J61 about two weeks ago, but soon to worry of cow health based on the performance of J61 and Tahlequah. There’s a potential breakthrough, at least: The researchers have confirmed the arrival of another J-pod-powered cow, designated J62. Although the gender of J62 is still unknown, the calf appears to be in good health at this time.

“Researchers from CWR, NOAA, and other research groups will conduct follow-up studies of J35, as well as the new calf J62 when conditions and movement of whales allow,” the Center said in its Facebook post. in detail The latest J61 and J62.

Humans and orcas aren’t the only animals that seem to cry. Some scientists say that many species of non-human animals can perceive and react to the idea of ​​death than is currently thought – a growing field of science called. comparative thanatology. So as much as people like Tahlequah may seem to us, there are many other animals out there that have their own way of dealing with death.