CENTURION ORCA SUCCUMBS
The issue of how long an orca lives has been highlighted by the deaths of two individuals.
The deaths of two orcas, or killer whales, has cast a spotlight on separate aspects of this species' place in the world.
First came the news in late December 2016 that Granny or J2 – who was estimated to be 105 years old – had not been seen since mid-October, and was presumed to be dead.
Granny’s longevity is one reason her death made headlines, but there was another – she was part of the Southern resident group that lives off the west coast of North America.
These killer whales have been studied since 1976, but scientists fear they are in irreversible decline. “Dwindling salmon stocks and shipping threaten the survival of this population,” Darren Croft from the University of Exeter told BBC News.
Writing on the website of Whale & Dolphin Conservation, Melisa Pinnow, of the Center for Whale Research, said matriarchs such as Granny play a vital role in killer whale groups because they are a source of knowledge.
“She knew the timing of salmon runs, the maps for finding food, the safe places to evade detection and the traditions of her family,” Pinnow said.
The other killer whale that died was Tilikum, a captive orca at SeaWorld believed to be 36. He became the focus for a campaign to stop the keeping of killer whales in captivity after the release of the documentary Blackfish in 2013.
Commenting on his death, SeaWorld said Tilikum was “near the high end of the average life expectancy for male killer whales”.
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “males typically live for about 30 years, but can live as long as 50–60 years”. Females – as we know, thanks to Granny – can live much longer.