L25 is bigger than the other orcas in the southern resident pods because she was able to eat well when young, when salmon were more plentiful.
Published: 5 minutes agoSEATTLE — She is still out there: cruising miles uncounted, leading her family to fish.
But “our best estimate is she is approaching 100 years old right now,” Weiss said. The original estimate for her year of birth was 1928 when the center’s census of the J, K and L pods began in 1976, Weiss said. His personal guess is that she might be anywhere from her mid-80s to her mid-90s. She outlived the capture era, from 1965 to 1976, when orcas were netted for aquariums — and even outlived the last surviving southern resident in captivity, Tokitae, who died in August even as efforts were underway to bring her home after more than 50 years in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium.She has lived through salmon famines, and because she was born so long ago, a time of salmon abundance. It shows in her body.
“She is a spectacular whale, just a gorgeous animal,” said Deborah Giles, science and research director for the research nonprofit Wild Orca.The loss of L25, whenever it comes, will be the end of an era: the next oldest orca in line is L22, who is more than 40 years younger if L25 is 95.
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