This female was 105 years old and lived in the North Pacific
Its official name was J2, but they knew it as Granny.
She arrived in the world to sail the Pacific North Seas in 1911, when he was not yet ready to sail the Titanic, according to a rough estimate of his age. Scientists who followed their habits in the waters off Vancouver and Seattle find it dead after several months without spotting it, according to the BBC.
In 1987 it was estimated that she was most likely to be 76 years old.
This orca had gained great popularity thanks to its extraordinary record of age, by which it was considered the oldest orca of the planet. And scientists were studying it, along with other older females to learn about the menopause of these cetaceans, a trait they only share with humans and those of tropical calderon, and that could give interesting clues about the evolutionary development of mammals.
Her death comes just two weeks after another member of J pod, 18-year-old J34, was found dead near Sechelt from blunt force trauma.
Researchers believe the male was struck by a vessel and died from its injuries.
Four members of J pod died last year amid fears that the population is suffering from a dwindling food supply.
“The SKRW (Southern Resident Killer Whale) population is now estimated to be 78 as of Dec. 31, 2016, and J pod contains only 24 individuals plus the wandering L87,” said Balcomb. “To whom will he attach now? Who will lead the pod into the future? Is there a future without food? What will the human leaders do?”
Southern resident killer whales were placed on the endangered animals list in 2005.
http://sarafinaj.blogspot.com/2017/01/granny-oldest-killer-whale-in-world-dies.html
No comments:
Post a Comment