Your Dolphin Outlook Weekly Updates!

Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project and TakePart invite you to an evening under the stars! A special presentation will represent the 1 MILLION PEOPLE who signed a petition to support the end of dolphin slaughter, which was depicted in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove. Get ready for guest speakers and an eye-catching performance by a Tesla Motors vehicle equipped with a state-of-the-art video projection system.

Can't make it out to D.C.? Never fear! We'll be livestreaming the event on Periscope. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@TakePart) for live updates, plus behind-the-scenes content you won't find anywhere else. We're also on Snapchat: @TakePartSnap! 

WHEN: Friday, April 17th
TIME: 7PM - 9PM 
WHERE: Washington D.C.VENUE: Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington D.C. 20004

Dolphins and humans share a unique, complicated relationship, one built on mutual curiosity and common qualities of complex sociability and high intelligence rare in the animal kingdom.

Sadly, as is often the case when humans interact with wildlife, the relationship is overwhelmingly one-sided. Humans may respect and even revere dolphins, but many of our activities intrude into their world and cause severe harm.

Our boats collide with and maim dolphins, our fishing nets trap and drown them, our pollution endangers and poisons them, our military sonars, thousands of times more powerful than jet engines, render them "blind," and our carbon dioxide emissions are altering the chemistry and temperatures of the waters they call home.

This National Dolphin Day, we're taking time to pause and reflect on these amazing marine mammals, so familiar to us, and yet in many ways so mysterious and vulnerable.

The most common and familiar dolphin species is the bottlenose dolphin, the species featured in the movie Dolphin Tale, the TV show Flipper, and as the mascot of the Miami Dolphins football team. Bottlenoses can be found around the world in temperate and tropical waters, along coasts, bays, estuaries, and river mouths—as well as offshore along continental shelves.

Bottlenoses are emblematic of the active work dolphin taxonomists have in identifying and classifying dolphin species. Until 1998, all bottlenoses were considered one species. But that year, scientists recognized the Indo-Pacific bottlenose—a smaller version found in the Indian Ocean—as a separate species. And geographic variation could lead to the recognition of additional bottlenose species in the future.

Bottlenoses can emit 1,000 clicking sounds per second to navigate and track prey,which researchers believe allow them to form exquisitely detailed images of their surroundings.

Many are surprised to learn that orcas, a.k.a. killer "whales," are actually the largest dolphin species. They are perhaps the most widespread vertebrates in the world, found throughout the world's oceans, from the Arctic to the Antarctic seas.

Orcas are almost as long as a school bus and weigh about half as much. They are carnivores that will eat almost animal they can find in the sea, from small fish to large whales, from octopuses to sea turtles, from seals to sharks. They will even beach themselves to grab a meal.

Orcas live in pods, which can have up to 40 members. They are currently considered to be a single species—but there are many different population types that may eventually be classified into distinct subspecies or even species. These types have different diets, behaviors, habitats, and social structures—and even where populations overlap, they don't appear to interbreed.

The smallest dolphin subspecies is also the most critically endangered. Maui's dolphin, or popoto—a subspecies of Hector's Dolphin—are only found off the west coast of New Zealand's North Island and there are only estimated to be 55 left in the world.

Maui's dolphins are about five and a half feet long and weigh about 110 pounds, with females on average a bit larger than males. They live in small pods of around five members, and are very playful with each other. They tend to stay close to shore and are easily recognized by their rounded, black dorsal fin.

Set net fishing is a major threat to Maui's dolphins—their echolocation navigation is not able to to detect the fine nylon nets, and the dolphins get trapped and drown. Trawling also catches them. But a new threat looms: Last year, the New Zealand government agreed to open about a quarter of the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary—the Maui's dolphin's main habitat—foroil drilling.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies five other species of dolphins as either vulnerable or endangered. These include the Atlantic Humpbacked Dolphin, the Franciscana, the Ganges River Dolphin, the Irrawaddy Dolphin, and the Chilean Dolphin. Fishing nets, boat strikes, and habitat loss and degradation are the major threats facing these species.Estimated populations of these species range from hundreds to a few thousand left

Tragically, scientists believe we've lost a species of river dolphin to extinction in recent years—the Yangtze River dolphin, also known as the Chinese river dolphin or Baiji. The last documented sighting was in 2002. A comprehensive survey in 2006 with two research vessels, including one that towed a hydrophone to listen for whistles and clicks, failed to find a single Baiji. Reports of unconfirmed sightings continue to come in, but the IUCN reports, "The preponderance of evidence indicates that the Baiji is very close to extinction or may already be extinct."

Nicknamed the "Goddess of the Yangtze," the species migrated from the Pacific Ocean into the Yangtze River some 20 million years ago. As recently as the 1950s, it was estimated that there were 6,000 living Baiji. By the 1980s, the numbers were down to 300-400 and by 1999 there were only a handful left.

The decline and likely loss of the Baiji is entirely human caused. The Yangtze is one of busiest rivers in the world. The main threat to Baiji is illegal fishing using electricity, which is responsible for 40% of known deaths. Dolphins are also caught in fishing nets and gear. Pollution, boat traffic and noises, and dam construction and other engineering projects along the river are other threats.

Credit: NOAA

As we approach the five-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill disaster, it is appropriate to recognize the devastation Gulf dolphin populations have suffered from that still-evolving ecological catastrophe.

Last year, bottlenose dolphins in Louisiana were found dead or stranded at a rate four-times higher than average, and nearly 1,000 dolphins have been found dead or stranded since the start of the disaster. Dolphins in Louisiana's Barataria Bay are reported to be suffering from adrenal problems, reproductive issues, and lung disease—symptoms consistent with oil exposure.

A 2011 study conducted as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment found that dolphins in the heavily oiled areas were very sick and exhibited "injuries consistent with toxic effects observed in laboratory studies of mammals exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons." The lead author of the study, Dr. Lori Schwacke, reported, "I've never seen such a high prevalence of very sick animals."

No surprise here: A new NOAA scientific study links BP oil from the 2010 Gulf disaster to dolphin deaths and illness in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

BP has saturated the market with its pricey PR onslaught, implying that the clean-up is over and the Gulf is better than ever—but that's simply not true. Five years after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, dumping at least 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the clean-up continues. Just this past march, a 25,000-pound tar mat of BP oil washed up on a Louisiana barrier island. The Gulf is still waiting for BP to accept responsibility in order to properly restore the Gulf. For many dolphins, that will come too late.

Take Action: Tell the Department of Justice to hold BP accountable.

Breaking News for Whales and Dolphins

Today marks a big day in our efforts to save whales and dolphins!
Together with a team from the well-respected Covington and Burling LLP, we have filed groundbreaking litigation to stop the lies and false marketing by SeaWorld about their treatment of orca whales and dolphins.

SeaWorld is the dominant multi-billion dollar interntaional corporation perpetuating the worldwide captivity and circus acts by dolphins and whales.  What SeaWorld does ripples around the world's captivity facilities, including those that continue to capture and import hundreds of dolphins from the notorious dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan.

That is why it is so critical that SeaWorld is stopped from making false claims like captive whales live as long as free whales in the wild... or that orcas live “happy and healthy” lives in captivity... or that they never take baby whales away from their mothers.

These are false, unscientific claims aimed at creating a PR fantasy to lure the public to buy tickets to their captivity shows.

But with your help we are going to change this.  We believe SeaWorld is violating California consumer protection laws and engaging in unfair business practices, and we are not going to let them get away with it.   

We need your help to spread the message about our lawsuit and SeaWorld's lies far and wide.  Your donation HERE will fund our research operations, public education, and consumer action to Stop the Lies.  Capturing and forcing orca whales and dolphins to perform in captivity circuses and live their lives away from their families in the wild s cruel and unnecessary.

Our campaign comes at an important time, as SeaWorld has just launched a nationwide multi-million dollar television ad campaign to try to repair its image that has been severely damaged by the hit movie "Blackfish" and recent proposed legislation to end whale performances.

The time to act is now, and we greatly appreciate your online gift of any size.  Donate HERE.   We are only here because of the support you provide.  Thanks for making a world of difference for dolphins and whales.

This week I am in our nation's capitol. Today, I will be meeting with members of the Obama Administration at The White House to personally deliver over 1 million signatures to end the dolphin slaughter in Taiji. If you're in the Washington D.C. area, join us on Friday, April 17th at the nearby Ronald Reagan Center for a special public delivery of the petition.

After seven weeks reporting on the ground from the infamous "Cove," testing dolphin meat for PCB's and welcoming the first Cove Monitor Kids, I traveled to Quintana Roo, Mexico. Eighteen dolphin abusement parks currently operate there, with more on the drawing board.

Although the dolphin drive season has ended, other marine mammals including Dall's porpoises and pilot whales continue to be hunted. As such, we will continue to do everything in our power to expose the atrocities that are happening in Taiji, Japan.

JOIN JAPAN DOLPHINS DAY

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015!

50+ Countries

Hundreds Of Events

Tens of Thousands Of Participants

SIGN UP NOW!

Most of the dolphins captured in Taiji are shipped to dolphinariums inside Japan. The second biggest market is China.Our message to the Chinese public remains the same as to the rest of the world:

Don't buy a ticket to a dolphin show.

Earth Day (April 22nd) marks Dolphin Project's 45th anniversary. We've come a long way, and have finally reached a tipping point where it's no longer publicly acceptable to have captive orcas and other dolphins. But there is much work yet to be done. We promise to continue leading the charge. Over the past 45 years, the Dolphin Project has pioneered the readaption & release of captive dolphins back into the wild. We have made the protocol available for others to replicate.

Every day I am contacted by people in virtually every part of the world to help a specific animal in need; to kick-start a campaign to protect dolphins or to support an ongoing initiative to improve the lives of dolphins, both captive and wild. And although I cannot be everywhere at every time, I do travel 12 months of the year, lending support and expertise whenever—and however—possible.

Each and every request I receive for assistance is taken very seriously, but is only achievable with your help. We are completely funded by you. And each time you donate to Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, know that you are aiding the longest-running, most active, anti-captivity dolphin welfare organization in the world.

We know you share our mission and support direct action, so please... become an Animal Hero for dolphins with your monthly gift today!

Mankind drove North Atlantic right whales to the edge of extinction, and now oil companies are coming back to help finish the job.

Come summer, seismic blasting could begin in these critically endangered whales Atlantic home. The dynamite-like blasts of sound for months on end could cause injury or even in some cases death.
With less than 450 North Atlantic right whales left, every life lost inches the species closer to extinction.

Donate to Oceana before tomorrow’s midnight deadline to help protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from seismic blasting. If just 441 more people give – even $10 – then we can release an extra $10,000!


559 Wavemakers like you have already contributed and brought us closer to releasing this special $10,000 match opportunity! But if we don’t hit 1,000 donors, the money stays on the table.

North Atlantic right whales need our proven grassroots campaign to keep working. Planned seismic blasting would happen in waters where North Atlantic right whales raise their young, bombarding mothers and young calves. The result? Potentially becoming separated, stranded or worse.

We can’t let that happen.

Can you support our efforts to protect whales and our oceans with a donation to Oceana now – With just 441 more donations we get an extra $10,000 >>

Every last dollar makes a difference in this fight. Just as every last critically endangered North Atlantic right whale matters.

Why SeaWorld's Ads Are False.

Why SeaWorld's Ads Claiming 'Our Whales Live as Long As They Do in the Wild' Are False - Posted by David Neiwert

J2, aka 'Granny, estimated to be over 100 years old, plays in the kelp. A lot of my non-dorca friends have been remarking about how frequently they have been seeing the SeaWorld counteroffensive to the #Blackfish Effect on their teevee sets these days, especially on sports and news programs.

Granny aka J2, leaps into the air at the ripe age of 100 (Photo by Astrid Van Ginnekin)

What they mostly remark on, in fact, is just how utterly insincere the people they are putting onscreen are coming off. "There are people who believe the crap that Sea World says," says my friend Michael Rogers. "The people in the ad are not two of them."

That's just the tell, though. If you dig into the factual content of these ads, what you'll discover is that they are deeply misleading, bordering on the outrageous.

See for yourself. Here's the most frequently seen ad, featuring a SeaWorld veterinarian and the company's animal-rescues chief, Pedro Ramos-Navarrete (which is kind of weird, considering that SeaWorld has never rescued an orca nor does it support people such as New Zealand orca scientist Ingrid Visser, who actually is engaged in orca-rescue work).

(SEE VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THIS ARTICLE)

You'll notice that Ramos-Navarrete says the following:

"And government research shows they live just as long as whales in the wild!"

This, over a text that reads:

"Survival in the wild is comparable to survival in captivity." -- Wall Street Journal

Note the little sleight of hand there? The first statement actually describes longevity -- how long the whales live. The second statement in fact is about survival rates -- that is, the likelihood of a whale surviving any given year. These are completely different things.

Then there's the longer SeaWorld propaganda ad addressing the same topic, appended to the above video. It features Chris Dold, SeaWorld's head veterinarian, holding forth to a confused member of the Twitter public, deriding their critics' claims that SeaWorld whales don't live as long in captivity as "false":

You don't need to take our word for it. Some of the best marine mammal researchers in the world work for the federal government at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. You know what they found? That killer whales that live at SeaWorld live just as long as killer whales in the wild. One of the authors of that report told the Wall Street Journal, "Survival in the wild is comparable to survival in captivity."You'll note that it indulges the same sleight of hand -- assuming that people will believe that survival rates determine how long a whale lives. But they are completely separate measures.

SeaWorld's claim, you see, rests entirely on the work of Alaska scientist Doug DeMaster, who has been compiling statistics on annual survival rates. These are handy numbers and probably give us an accurate picture of the likelihood of any given orca surviving the year, both in the wild and in captivity.

Back in 1995, DeMaster and his partner found that there was a significant difference in those rates between orcas in captivity and those in the wild, favoring wild orcas by a large percentage (as differences in these rates go). But by 2013, he explained to Politifact, he had found their annual survivorship rates to be comparable. That's the study cited in the WSHJ piece as well.

But what SeaWorld isn't telling you is that there's a caveat to DeMaster's observation, and it's a big one: 

"[A]s long as you use data from 2005 to 2013."That's an eight-year data sample to assess how likely an orca is to survive in an institution that has been in operation for over fifty. In statistics, that's what we call a "skewed sample", or more precisely, an "inadequate sample.

That's SeaWorld saying, "Hey, we may have been insanely awful in how we handled orcas before, but we've been doing much, much better the last eight years!"

More to the point, annual survivor rates won't tell you how long the animals will live -- which is, of course, exactly what both Dold and Ramos-Navarette were claiming. All that number gives you is a kind of snapshot of the current health of the population, how likely their animals are to live through the year. If you want to know how long the animals will live, you need to look up longevity statistics.

Now, let's be specific: We don't really have a complete longevity picture for the orcas in SeaWorld's care, in part because they have only been in business for a little over fifty years now, and orcas in the wild (particularly females) are known to live often into their eighties, and even beyond. Atop the post, you'll see my 2013 shot of Granny, the matriarch of the Southern Residents' J clan orcas who is believed to be over 100 years old (though her age is in fact an estimate).

A whale whose age we know a little better is this one: L-25, believed to be about 85. She is also believed to be the mother of Lolita, the L-pod female who has been held captive at the Miami Seaquarium for the past 45 years and counting.

The oldest SeaWorld orca, by contrast, is the female Northern Resident orca Corky, who was captured as a 2-year-old calf from the A5 pod, whose whereabouts remain well known (though in fact her mother has since passed away). She is 47 years old.

The next oldest are the Icelandic orca females captured on the same day in 1978, Katina and Kasatka, who are estimated to be 39 and 38 years old, respectively. The oldest male in the collection, Ulises (another Icelandic capture) is 37.

Those are, however, the outliers when it comes to longevity at SeaWorld to date. The bottom line is much more grim.

As Naomi Rose has explained in detail, SeaWorld is even distorting the annual-survival-rate (ASR) data, which still does not favor SeaWorld:

However, the most recently presented ASR – not peer-reviewed, but presented at a scientific conference (Innes et al. in prep – this is for the period 2005-2013) – calculated from captive killer whale data in the Marine Mammal Inventory Report is lower, at 0.983, than the Alaskan ASR for both sexes aged 1.5-2.5 (0.997), females aged 15-19 (0.996), both sexes aged 10.5-14.5 (0.992), both sexes aged 3.5-5.5 (0.991), females aged 25-29 (0.990), both sexes aged 6.5-9.5 (0.989), females aged 20-24 (0.987), and even males aged 15-19 (0.986). It is higher than all other age classes (mixed and single sex) in Alaska. The Matkin et al. paper did not calculate an overall ASR, so none of these comparisons (a mixed age/mixed sex group vs. a specific age/sex class) is actually valid. Regardless, they are not similar. (Note: the MMIR ASR for the decade 1995-2004 was 0.968, lower than most of the Alaskan values.)Meanwhile, as she notes, the average life expectancy for wild orcas is "around 50-90 years for females and 30-70 years for males."

So what does it look like for SeaWorld orcas?

I've compiled a database of SeaWorld orcas, living and dead, wild- and captive-born. I've specifically left out other marine parks' orcas from the database, given that the record there is downright horrific, particularly during the 1960s and '70s, and granting SeaWorld's argument that its superior care should not be tainted by what occurs in other parks. Nor does it include the many calves who died stillborn.

Here's the final tally:

-- Over the years (since 1965, beginning with the first Shamu), SeaWorld has possessed a total of 66 live killer whales. Of those, 29 are still alive. Shamu died after six years in captivity, a victim of SeaWorld's dubious breeding program.
-- Wild-born captives have both fared the worst and lived the longest. Of the 32 wild-born orcas in their collection, only six remain alive. Those six, as noted above, are also SeaWorld's longest-lived orcas. The average age of death for wild whales at the park is 14.5 years.
-- The average length of captivity of all of SeaWorld's wild whales, including those still alive, is 15.375 years. And the average longevity for all 66 of SeaWorld's whales tallies out at 14.03 years. For males, the average longevity of all orcas living and dead is 14.78 years; for females, it is even lower, at 13.92 years (the reverse of what occurs in the wild, where females enjoy much longer average lifespans).
-- Captive-born orcas have been a mixed bag. Of the 37 who have survived infancy, 11 have died. Those deceased orcas have averaged 9.8 years alive. Of the 26 remaining in SeaWorld's collection, the oldest -- Orkid and Kayla -- are 27 years old. The average age of all their current captive-born orcas is 14.1 years (the number drops to 12.76 if deceased captive-born orcas are factored in).In other words, it should be obvious that captive wild killer whales have not fared well historically at SeaWorld, especially when compared to the wild. There, the Southern Resident killer whale population that founded SeaWorld has, while officially endangered as one of the effects of that capture period, at least maintained relatively stable numbers. In contrast, 81 percent of SeaWorld's wild population has died, all at ages well below what is considered a normal lifespan in the wild.

And while SeaWorld loves to tout its now-increased standards of veterinary care and husbandry as the reason for arguing "Hey, we've done lots better in the last eight years!", there really is no guarantee that these short-term gains of the recent past will translate into actual longevity for the orcas, including those born in captivity.

They still are subject to the extreme stresses caused by their sterile and extremely limited environment and the obliteration of orca-society norms that they have been wired for over millions of years. They still lead the lives of slaves. There's no doubt the company has light years to go before it can even come close to replicating the complexity of environment and surroundings, as well as the multiple layers of orca social organization, that they can experience in wild waters, even if (in the case of the captive-born whales and damaged goods like Tilikum) that only means life in a seapen similar to Keiko's.I've always felt the real bottom line for orca captivity lies in the complete history of the affair, and as I note in Of Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us: 

Study after study has demonstrated that whales in captivity are more than two and a half times more likely to die than whales in the wild. All the care in the world cannot compensate for the stress brought on by placing a large, highly mobile, highly intelligent, and highly social animal with a complex life into a small concrete tank.

Of the 136 orcas taken in captivity from the wild over the years, only 13 still survive. The average lifespan in captivity so far is about eight and a half years. In the wild, the average rises to thirty-one years for males and forty-six for females. Then there is the upper end of the spectrum. In the wild, males will live up to sixty years, and in the Puget Sound, there is a matriarchal female named Granny who is believed to be a hundred years old. And let's remember one last stark number: Of the 55 whales the SeaWorld and other marine parks removed from the Southern and Northern Resident populations from 1964-1976, exactly two remain alive. One is at SeaWorld: Corky. And the only surviving Southern Resident is Lolita. She's not even in SeaWorld's collection.

Full database here.

SeaWorld Captive Orca Deaths

Whale Year of Death - Age at Death - Years Captive - Sex - Park 
Shamu 1971 10 6 F SD
Kandu 1971 5 4 F SD
Kilroy 1978 12 11 M SD
Ramu 1982 19 15 M OR
Orky II 1988 26 20 M SD
Nootka 1990 24 20 F SD
Winston/Ramu 1986 20 16 M SD
Kandu 3 1975 7 4 F OR
Kona 1977 10 6 F SD
Canuck 1974 5 3 F OR
Sandy 1977 10 4 F OR
Frankie 1974 10 1 M SD
Kandu 4/Kanduke 1990 19 15 M OR
Kenau 1991 16 15 F OR
Gudrun 1996 20 19 F OR
Canuck 2 1981 6 4 M SD
Kona 2 1987 12 10 F OR
Kandu 5 1989 15 12 F SD
Winnie 2002 27 25 F TX

Shawn 1979 2 1 F SD

Kahana 1991 14 13 F TX
Kotar 1995 17 16 M TX

Bjossa 2001 24 21 F SD
Nootka 4 1994 15 12 F OR
Haida 2 2001 20 19 F TX
Samoa 1992 12 9 F TX

Kalina 2010 25 25 F OR
Baby Shamu 2 1986 11 days 11 days ? SD
Katerina 1999 11 11 F TX
Taima 2010 21 21 F OR
Splash/Katak 2005 16 16 M SD
Taku 2007 14 14 M TX
Nyar 1996 3 3 F OR
[Haida 2 calf] 1994 38 days 38 days F TX

Sumar 2010 12 12 M SD
Halyn 2008 3 3 F TXVicky 2013 1 1 F LP
26 wild born, 11 captive born

Total average age: 13.1
Total average years captivity: 11.05
11.88 years average captivity for wild whales
14.5 average age at death for wild whales; 9.8 for captive born

Existing SeaWorld inventory
* wild-born

Whale - Current age - Years Captive - Sex - Park
Adan 5 5 M LP

*Corky 2 47 45 F SD
Ikaika 13 13 F SD
Kalia 11 11 F SD
Kamea 2 2 F TX
*Kasatka 38 37 F SD
*Katina 39 37 F OR
Kayla 27 27 F OR
Keet 22 22 M SD
Keto 20 20 M LP
Kohana 13 13 F LP
Kyuquot 24 24 M TX
Malia 8 8 F OR
Makaiko 5 5 M OR
Makani 2 2 M SD
*Morgan 7 5 F LP
Nakai 14 14 M SD
Nalani 9 9 F OR
Orkid 27 27 F SD
Sakari 7 7 F TX
Shouka 22 22 F SD
Skyla 11 11 F LP
Takara 24 24 F TX
Tekoa 15 15 M LP
*Tilikum 34 32 M OR
Trua 10 10 M OR
Tuar 16 16 M TX
*Ulises 37 35 M SD
Unna 19 19 F TX

Total: 29; 12 males, 17 females
6 wild born, 23 captive born

Average age 18.2

Average length of captivity: 17.8 years Average age of captive born: 14.1
Average age of all captive born: 12.76
26 wild born, 11 captive born

Total average age: 13.1
Total average years captivity: 11.05
11.88 years average captivity for wild whales
14.5 average age at death for wild whales
Average length of captivity for all wild whales: 15.375

Posted by David Neiwert at 4:05 PM

Granny was just seen by the Center for Whale Research in her natural habitat;

Who is this whale and why is she important?

Her name is J-2 Granny, a Southern Resident member, and she was sighted today with her J pod family. Most importantly, researchers believe she is around 103 years old!

She sure is old. How do we know that is her age?

We don't know her *exact* age, but based on photos dating back over 40 years ago and familial ties, we can estimate! J-2 Granny was always spotted with J-1 Ruffles, a large male with a tall dorsal fin appearing to look ruffled. Because male killer whales spend their entire lives with their mothers, it was believed that he was her son. And, since he was fully mature, that would mean Granny is older than him. Researchers based her age off of Ruffles' approximate age, and that is how the number came to be—of course, it goes up every year. Even if Granny is not 103, she is no doubt the oldest member in the entire population of 81 (82 if you count Lolita) individuals.

She was nicknamed Granny because she often babysits the younger whales! Her great-great grandson is two-year-old J-49 T'ilem I'nges. Granny is an active member of her community.

The oldest killer whales in captivity are Corky II, a Northern Resident residing at SeaWorld San Diego, and Lolita/Tokitae, a Southern Resident residing in an illegal tank in Miami Seaquarium. Both have almost reached the age of 50, though they were also stolen from the wild. The second oldest age reached after them is approximately 38, though Katina was also captured from the wild. No orcas born in captivity will ever reach Granny's age any time soon, and I doubt the older wild-caught whales will either.
•
Photo: Center for Whale Research

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