Space Daily August 25, 2026 • 16:45

In 2018 a female orca off the coast of Washington gave birth to a calf that died within half an hour, and rather than let the body sink she carried it with her, pushing it through the water on her head for 17 days and more than a thousand miles before finally letting - Space Daily

In 2018 a female orca off the coast of Washington gave birth to a calf that died within half an hour, and rather than let the body sink she carried it with her, pushing it through the water on her head for 17 days and more than a thousand miles before finally letting - Space Daily

A grieving orca has now twice refused to let her dead calves sink, carrying them across vast distances in what scientists struggle to explain as anything but profound mourning.

The mother’s designation, on the tracking records kept by the researchers who monitor her, is J35. Her name is Tahlequah. She’s a member of the Southern Resident killer whale population that lives in… [+7783 chars]

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