At an estimated age of 105 years old, the orca known to researchers as "Granny" is presumed to be dead.
Labelled J2, she was a member of the Puget Sound orcas which are located in Washington State in the U.S., a small and closely monitored group of the species.
SEE ALSO:Drone captures badass killer whales killing a shark like it's NBDOver the last 40 years, J2 has been witnessed "thousands of times" according to the Center for Whale Research, but hasn't been seen since October.
She's believed to be the oldest of her species, give or take a 12-year margin of error.
She was last spotted swimming north on Haro Strait, well ahead of J pod -- one of the three family groups of whales that travel with their mothers or grandmothers.
"Perhaps other dedicated whale-watchers have seen her since then, but by year's end she is officially missing from the SRKW (Southern Resident Killer Whales) population, and with regret we now consider her deceased," the Center for Whale Research's Executive Director, Kenneth Balcomb, wrote in a touching obituary for J2.
The death brings the toll of dead or missing whales to seven in 2016, with the region's population of the whales down to 78 by the end of the year. That's despite the birth of eight babies in 2015.
Tweet may have been deleted
Listed as endangered in 2005, orcas continue to battle despite a decade of research, protection and recovery efforts -- struggling due to a lack of food, pollution and disturbances from marine vessels.
Decades ago there were more than 140 Southern Resident Killer Whales, declining to 71 in the 1970s when dozens were captured for display at marine parks and aquariums.
J2's long lifespan was an example of why orcas shouldn't be kept in captivity, but questions remain on who will lead J pod now, which contains 24 individuals.
Associated Presscontributed reporting.
TopicsAnimals
(责任编辑：休閑)
Slack goes down again, prompting anxiety everywhere
Facebook users raised most amount ever on Giving Tuesday
Golden Globes 2019: the full winners list
This visual history of video game hardware quite literally pulls your favorite consoles apart
The five guys who climbed Australia's highest mountain, in swimwear17 questions you can answer if you're a good communicator
Whether you regularly speak in public and write online, or you mostly express yourself over email, b
...[详细]
Patreon, the subscription content service that allows people to receive donations directly from thei
...[详细]Yael Stone accuses Geoffrey Rush of inappropriate behavior
Orange Is The New Blackstar Yael Stone is the latest person to accuse actor Geoffrey Rush of sexual
...[详细]
Have you heard the news? Congress is FUN now!Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman to ever be
...[详细]Balloon fanatic Tim Kaine is also, of course, very good at harmonica
You know the old saying: the people want a president they can drink a beer with and they also want a
...[详细]This illustrator's making hand
The midterm elections are upon us, and while getting pizza while waiting in line to vote is a great
...[详细]Golden Globes 2019: the full winners list
And the Golden Globe goes to... From Black Pantherto The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 2018 gave us a mount
...[详细]'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' will return this spring
Thought you'd have to wait until next Halloween for more Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? Not so, wit
...[详细]Pokémon Go is so big that it has its own VR porn parody now
Behind every great entertainment property there's a cheekily named porn parody. Super Hornio Bros. G
...[详细]MacBook Air teardown: What a difference three years make
Now that Apple's new MacBook Air has hit the stores, repair specialists iFixit have immediately crac
...[详细]Despite IOC ban, Rio crowds get their political messages across
Amazon's Jeff Bezos announces he and wife MacKenzie are getting a divorce
