The mother orca, known as Tahlequah or J35, has been seen carrying the body of the deceased female calf since Wednesday, the Washington state-based Center for Whale Research said in a Facebook post.
On Tuesday, the center determined J35, also known as Tahlequah, was the baby's mother. The calf, a girl, was given the designation J61. It's not all good news for the mom and baby though.
The orca, identified as J35, lost her first calf in 2018 but was seen with a new female calf, known as J61, just before Christmas. This was the second calf J35 had given birth to since her first loss.
“The entire team at the Center for Whale Research is deeply saddened by this news and we will continue to provide updates when we can,” the post said.In 2018, researchers observed J35 pushing ...