A female orca was observed carrying the body of her dead calf, American researchers found.
Seven years earlier, this specimen had already had similar behavior with another of its babies.
This is not the first time that this phenomenon has been observed but it remains remarkable nonetheless. The orca named Tahlequah, also known as J35, was spotted Wednesday off the coast of Seattle in the Pacific Ocean, says the Whale Research Center, based in Washington state. On this occasion, the animal was carrying a dead female calf. “J35 was seen carrying the body of the deceased calf”writes the institute.
“This behavior had already been observed in J35 in 2018 when she carried the body of her deceased calf for 17 days,” specify the researchers. On this occasion, the specimen had been “seen sometimes pushing the remains with his nose and other times grabbing it with his mouth”all over more than 1,600 kilometers, recalls AFP.
The loss of a new calf is “particularly devastating”judge the scientists. Indeed, according to them, whales in general and orcas in particular are among the most intelligent animals in the world, exhibiting complex social behavior, including self-awareness and suffering. “We know that orcas are very intelligent, emotional and have very strong family bonds. I see it as mourning. Seeing her carry this other dead calf like she did in 2018 (…) shows that she is in mourning, it’s a difficult loss”points out Tamara Kelley, from the NGO Orca Conservancy (conservation of orcas, in French editor’s note).
On the other hand, a positive point, the group of Tahlequah orcas was joined by another newborn. “The sex of the calf is not yet known”, but “it seems normal physically and behaviorally”reveals the Whale Research Center.
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As a reminder, this species, the Southern Resident orcas – contraintuitively, they reside… in the Pacific Northwest – is classified as endangered in the United States. In all, only three groups of this population are still recorded, or around 70 souls in total. The reduction in the number of their prey and the noise and disturbance caused by ships would be the main explanations for their gradual disappearance, estimates the National Maritime Fisheries Service.
