Orca Mothers Who Carry Their Dead Calves

In the summer of 2018, people around the world watched an orca push her dead calf through the sea day after day. Researchers say it was among the longest such episodes ever recorded. This article explains what happened and what is known.

What happened in 2018?

An orca called J35, nicknamed Tahlequah, gave birth on July 24, 2018. The calf was seen alive only briefly. By the time biologists from the Center for Whale Research reached her, it was dead. J35 then carried the body for at least 17 days and about 1,000 miles, according to the center. She carried it on her head and nose and in her mouth, and kept picking it up so it would not sink. The Associated Press reports that her closely knit pod took turns carrying the body.

The center described it as a “tour of grief.” It ended when she was seen chasing salmon with her pod and no longer had the body, which likely sank. The center said her behavior was “remarkably frisky” and that she looked to be in good physical condition. Experts called the display unprecedented for a Southern Resident orca.

Did it happen again?

Yes. On January 1, 2025, scientists with NOAA confirmed that J35 was carrying another dead calf, her new daughter, which had lived only a handful of days. NOAA scientist Brad Hanson watched her drape the body over her snout or head and dive for it when it sank. The center said she had now lost two of her four documented calves. Other Southern Resident orcas have carried dead calves, said research director Michael Weiss, but “certainly not for as long” as J35 did in 2018.

Why does this matter for the whole population?

Because calf deaths are common and the population is small. The Center for Whale Research says only about 1 in 5 orca pregnancies produces a calf that lives to its first birthday. In 2018, CBC reported only 75 Southern Residents were left, with no successful births in three years. As of January 2025, the Associated Press reported 73. The whales struggle with a shortage of Chinook salmon, pollution, and vessel noise.

Is it grief?

Scientists differ on how to describe it. Joe Gaydos of the SeaDoc Society told the Associated Press it is fair to say J35 is grieving or mourning. Gaydos added that similar behavior appears in other long-lived, socially close animals such as primates and dolphins. Not every scientist agrees on how to describe it, and this article cannot settle that. What can be said is that the behavior is documented and that carrying for this long is rare in this population. For the arguments on each side, see Do Animals Understand Death?.

Where can I learn more?

See How Primates Respond to Their Dead Infants, Do Elephants Mourn Their Dead?, and Whale Falls: How a Whale’s Death Feeds the Deep Sea.