World’s Oldest Killer Whale Presumed Dead, Reports Say

Researchers say that the world's oldest known killer whale, known as Granny, is missing and is presumed dead.

J2, as she is officially called, is estimated to be over 100 years old and was said to be among the most beloved of her species. Granny, according to National Geographic, is distinguished by the cut in her film, the acrobatic breaching, and the fact that she led her clan of orcas as they cruised through the Pacific Northwest. She was said to be the world's oldest known orca, as she was already an adult when she was found in Washington State's Puget Sound in the late 1960s. They were corralled and captured for aquariums. Even back then, she was considered to be too old to be shipped off and sold as she was already likely post-menopausal.

Because of her age, she was left to swim in the wild and went on doing so for another five decades. However, she disappeared some time last fall and was not seen since October, leading researchers to believe that she is likely dead and bringing the total number of the particular population of killer whales to 78 from 200 or more in the 1800s.

Granny had been the focal point of a recent BBC documentary that followed a study of her clan in an effort to unravel an evolutionary mystery: menopause. Only three mammals are known to experience such stage in life. Female orcas, which are known to live beyond their reproductive years, have revealed insights. But as of now, menopause still remains a mystery.

Granny and other matriarch killer whales are known to be crucial to their family group. Considering that she has not been seen with the J pod for a while now, researchers are assuming that she is gone, especially that L87, an orphaned orca that she took in from a neighboring pod and who stuck with her like glue, has been seen without her by his side.