Orca Who Carried Dead Calf Has a New Baby

She became one of the most famous killer whales in existence for all the wrong reasons, but now Tahlequah is making headlines for happier ones. The orca in Puget Sound first came to the world's attention in 2018 when she carried her dead calf for 17 days across 1,000 miles, notes NBC News. Now the Center for Whale Research reports that Tahlequah—more formally known as J35—has given birth to another calf who's seemingly healthy and swimming alongside her.

"Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year," says one of the center's social media posts. "J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days." This is Tahlequah's third calf to survive: She had one in 2010 and another in 2020. The calf that died in 2018 lived for less than an hour, notes the Seattle Times, and Tahlequah seemed unable to part with it.

The new birth of a female calf is being celebrated for more than sentimental reasons. Tahlequah is one of only 73 Southern Resident killer whales known to exist across three pods. The whales face a slew of modern dangers, including fewer chinook salmon in the area, vessel noise that makes hunting difficult, and pollution, per the Seattle newspaper. (More orca stories.)