Grandma – the oldest killer whale in the world is said to be dead by now.
Recently, experts recorded that the world’s oldest killer whale is currently missing and probably died in the Salish Sea – the water between Seattle (US) and Vancouver (Canada).
This whale is called Granny, estimated to be 105 years old. Whaling expert Ken Balcomb – founder of the Center for Whale Research (CWR) in Washington state – recently posted a tribute to her on the centre’s homepage.
“The last time I saw her was on October 12, 2016, in Haro Strait. Maybe some whale lovers saw her a few times after that, but at the end of the year last she The whale is officially missing, no longer in the herd. And unfortunately we think she may have died “- said Balcomb.
Granny belongs to the Southern Killer Whale (SRKW) – and is part of the threatened populations, with an estimated population of 80 individuals, divided into 3 groups J, K and L.
Our whale is currently the leader of Group J, and if it dies, experts are concerned about the fate of the 24 young whales.
Balcomb has been studying this group of whales since 1976 – a time when people were very active … capturing killer whales and bringing them to marine institutes. His research at the time helped people observe the health status and population numbers of the Pacific Northwest, showing that killer whale hunting is extremely dangerous, can be extremely dangerous and can make the unstable ecosystem.
But despite studying whales for over 40 years, Balcomb and many other experts cannot be sure how old Granny is. She has been in Group J since the experts decided to follow them.
In addition, Grandma left a line to an unknown whale. Since being watched, Grandma has never given birth. Previously, it was believed that a whale with the “code name” J1 was the son of Grandma, but later evidence showed that they were unrelated.
However, there is always a chance that Grandma will separate from the herd and still be alive – although this is a very small possibility, as killer whales rarely live alone. But let’s hope, right?
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