B.C. orca mom carries infant calf’s body, echoing apparent grieving ritual from death of another calf years ago

A killer whale that is part of a population struggling to survive appears to be grieving, carrying the carcass of her dead calf on her head, echoing the mourning behaviour she exhibited for 17 days when another one of her offspring died in 2018.The mother orca, known as J35 or Tahlequah, is a Southern Resident killer whale in the Salish Sea off the coast of British Columbia and northwest Washington State. In July, scientists counted 73 Southern Residents, with 25 in the J pod. The deceased calf was a female, designated J61, and only lived for a few days in December.