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Humans aren’t the only ones who experience grief over losing their loved ones. Whale researchers have just documented an orca mother carrying around her recently deceased calf—an act that many experts believe to be a example of mourning among whales.
Scientists at the Center for Whale Research reported the sighting on Wednesday in a Facebook post, involving a female orca designated J35 and her deceased female calf, known as J61. It’s the second time in seven years that J35, also known as Tahlequah, has been observed carrying one of her dead calves. While the exact nature of this behavior may never be fully understood, at least some marine scientists do believe that J35 is truly lamenting her child’s death.
“I think it’s fair to say that she is grieving or mourning,” Joe Gaydos, science director of SeaDoc at the University of California, Davis, told the AP Friday.
Tahlequah isn’t the only whale who has been observed displaying grief-like behavior, but she may be the most well-known. In 2018, scientists documented Tahlequah carrying her dead calf for 17 days across more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of water. Not only did Tahlequah carry her calf much longer than other whales seen doing something similar, but there were points where other members of her close-knit pod appeared to take turns carrying the calf as well.
Other highly social animals seem capable of grieving as well, which may be especially connected to the death of their young. Elephants have been seen burying their dead calves, for instance, while the female members of different primate species have been documented holding onto their decreased children in much the same manner as Tahlequah and her calves.
J61’s death is especially tragic given the state of orcas in the area. While orcas can be found throughout the world in healthy numbers, the southern resident killer whales that live off the Pacific Northwest are endangered. So this death could further imperil the long-term survival of Tahlequah’s pod. Orca calves in general face a harsh environment. According to the Center for Whale Research, only about 50% of calves survive their first year of life.
The researchers first received reports of J61’s arrival about two weeks ago, but quickly grew concerned about the calf’s health based on behavioral observations of J61 and Tahlequah. There is a potential sliver lining, at least: The researchers have also confirmed the arrival of another calf traveling with J pod, designated J62. Though J62’s sex is still unknown, the calf does appear to be physically and behaviorally healthy for the time being.
“Researchers from CWR, NOAA, and other research groups will conduct follow-up observations of J35, as well as new calf J62 when conditions and the movements of the whales allow,” the Center said in its Facebook post detailing J61 and J62’s latest status.
Humans and orcas aren’t the only animals that appear to mourn. Some scientists have argued that a much wider variety of non-human animals can recognize and respond to the concept of dying than is currently assumed—an emerging field of science called comparative thanatology. So as human-like as orcas like Tahlequah might seem to us, there are perhaps many other animals out there that have their own unique way of grasping death.
