Summary

Tahlequah, the orca who gained global attention in 2018 for carrying her dead calf for 17 days across 1,000 miles, has given birth to a new calf, designated J61.

The Center for Whale Research expressed concern for J61’s survival, as orca calves face high mortality in their first year.

Tahlequah, part of the endangered Southern Resident orcas, now has three surviving offspring.

With only 73 whales left in the population, threats like pollution, food scarcity, and contaminants remain critical challenges to their survival.

  • Flying Squid
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    1220 hours ago

    On the other hand, they wear dead salmon as hats, so maybe they have their derpy points too.

    • @isyasad
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      313 hours ago

      The orca from this story is from one of the same pods that was part of that trend, although she’s too young (1998) to have been part of the original trend. But perhaps her mother once wore a salmon hat

    • AItoothbrush
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      fedilink
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      1319 hours ago

      Thats what makes them so “human”. They are eerily close to us on an emotional level.

      • Flying Squid
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        719 hours ago

        It’s definitely easier to relate to an animal when they do something silly and you know they’re just being silly. That’s why it’s so easy to relate to dogs sometimes. Dogs like to be silly and so do we.