The entire team at the Center for Whale Research is deeply saddened by this news and we will continue to provide updates when we can.
I think it's fair to say that she is grieving or mourning. Similar behavior can also be seen in other socially cohesive animals with relatively long life spans, such as primates and dolphins.
J35 was draping the dead calf across her snout or on top of her head, and that she appeared to dive for it when it sank from the surface.
Calf mortality is high: Only about 1 in 5 orca pregnancies result in a calf that lives to its first birthday.
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