killer whale, which captured the world’s attention in 2018 when it is observed pushing the dead body of its newborn calf for 17 days, it appears to be grieving again.
The whale, known as Tahlequah, has lost another calf and is pushing the body again, according to the Center for Whale Research.
This time, Tahlequah was spotted off the coast of the US state of Seattle.
Killer whales are known to carry dead calves for a week, but scientists said in 2018 that Tahlequah had set a “record”.
The Center for Whale Research announced the death of any calf was a “tremendous loss,” but he added that the death of Tahlequah’s newborn was “particularly devastating” given its history.
The center, which studies the southern killer whale and works to conserve it, said Tahlequah has now lost two of its four documented calves – both of which were female.
Both Canada and the US list southern killer whales as endangered.
The whales depend on Chinook salmon – which have been in dramatic decline in recent years – for food.
In other words, the failure to reproduce is related to the diet and access to these salmon research from the University of Washington.
Whales can travel an average of 120 km (75 miles) per day.
The 2018 sighting of a Tahlequah pushing a dead calf occurred on the coast of Victoria, British Columbia.
