Where's 'Granny'? Oldest Orca Is Missing, and the Worst Is Feared

"Granny," the world's oldest orca, has not been sighted since October 2016.

Credit score: Middle for Whale Analysis

A killer whale regarded as over 100 years outdated and recognized affectionately as "Granny" has not been sighted in a number of months and is regarded as deceased.

The orca was described as "formally lacking" from the native inhabitants — and sure useless, as she had not been seen since Oct. 12, 2016 — in a memorial publish shared on-line Dec. 31, 2016, by marine biologist Ken Balcomb, a principal investigator on the Middle for Whale Analysis (CWR) in Washington.

Granny was recognized as "J2" many years in the past by CWR scientists who studied her pod of so-called Southern Resident killer whales in Puget Sound, a Pacific Ocean inlet off the coast of Washington. Balcomb first noticed J2 in 1976, and continued to watch her over the subsequent 40 years, describing her in his memorial as "the energizer bunny" who simply saved going and going, regardless of her remarkably superior age. [Orca Gallery: See Gorgeous Photos of Killer Whales]

Feminine killer whales are a lot longer-lived than their male counterparts, with a life span that may exceed males' by many years. Male orcas have a median life span of about 30 years, however can dwell so long as 50 years. Nevertheless, a feminine orca's typical life span is round 50 years, they usually can dwell to be at the very least 100, in accordance with a species description by the Nationwide Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

However it's extremely uncommon for scientists to have the chance to watch a single orca within the wild over many many years because it ages. Granny had a particular nick in her dorsal fin that helped scientists to acknowledge her shortly and monitor her over time. In actual fact, she and her pod had been instrumental in establishing that orcas had distinctive patterns and fin options that may very well be utilized by researchers to establish them, Balcomb defined.

"A closed-saddle feminine"

In 1976, she was described as "a closed-saddle feminine that has a small nick midway down on the trailing edge with a finger-size tag of tissue protruding upward from the underside of the nick," by marine biologist Michael Bigg, who pioneered particular person whale identification by way of remark, Balcomb recalled.

Her age was approximated to be at the very least 45 years outdated and presumably 76 years outdated in 1987. By these estimates, her age in 2016 would have been at the very least 74 years outdated and maybe as a lot as 105 years outdated. Both approach, she was the oldest recognized Southern Resident killer whale — the one recognized resident inhabitants of killer whales in the USA, inhabiting waters close to British Columbia and Washington.

Granny was one in every of dozens of orcas divided amongst three pods — nicknamed "J," "Okay" and "L" — Daybreak Noren, a analysis fishery biologist on the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Northwest Fisheries Science Middle in Seattle, instructed Reside Science in 2016. As of Dec. 31, 2016, an estimated 78 Southern Resident killer whales stay in complete, with Granny's "J" pod holding 24, Balcomb wrote within the memorial.

And whereas it is potential that Granny could flip up once more, after a months-long absence, it is not very possible, Balcomb mentioned.

"Maybe different devoted whale-watchers have seen her since then, however by 12 months's finish she is formally lacking from the SRKW [Southern Resident killer whale] inhabitants, and with remorse we now take into account her deceased," he added.

Authentic article on Reside Science.

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