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2Deviously (talk | contribs) →Orca lifespan: I fixed the source as the original one I provided is no longer in service. This is still the same research paper by the same authors. |
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'''Granny''' (born c. 1936-1951
==Description==
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==J pod==
Granny, along with several of her descendants, travelled in the J pod, a group of about 25 orcas.<ref name=Genealogy>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D8cw6_K4MHQC&pg=PA84 | title=Killer Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia| isbn=9780774844307| last1=Ford| first1=John K. B.| last2=Ellis| first2=Graeme M.| last3=Balcomb| first3=Kenneth C.| year=1996| publisher=UBC Press}}</ref> J pod, along with Pods K and L, are the "J clan", which constitute the entire southern resident population. They frequent the inland waters of British Columbia and Washington state in the summer months, but roam from southeast [[Alaska]] to central [[California]]. They have completed a journey as far as {{convert|800|mi}} in a week.<ref name=Genealogy/> As the oldest female in J pod, Granny would have been considered its [[matriarch#Animals|matriarch]].<ref name="OrcaAdventures">{{cite web|url=https://orcaspirit.com/2012/05/the-resident-orcas-of-j-pod/|title=The Resident Orcas Of J-Pod|first= John| last= Douglas|date=2012}}</ref>
A well-known male orca previously thought to be Granny's son is J1 Ruffles. He was last seen in late 2010. As of 2012, none of Granny's immediate children are known to be living.<ref name="OrcaAdventures"/> However, Granny had multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren who travelled in the pod with her.<ref name=Genealogy/>
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==Legacy==
As one of the longest living known orcas, Granny is employed as an example in arguments against keeping orcas in captivity, referencing the allegedly reduced lifespan of captive animals.<ref name="DeathAtSeaworld">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N0JHLOQKomAC&pg=PA462 | title=Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity | author=Kirby, David| date=July 17, 2012 | publisher=Macmillan | isbn=9781250002020 }}</ref> As of 2023, the oldest [[captive orca]] is [[Corky (killer whale)|Corky]], who has been in captivity since 1969. The average lifespan for a captive orca is 20 to 30 years.<ref>{{cite news| work= [[Calgary Herald]]| agency= [[Times Colonist]]| first= Sarah| last= Petrescu| url= https://calgaryherald.com/news/national/worlds-oldest-known-killer-whale-seen-off-b-c-coast| title= World's oldest known killer whale seen off B.C. coast| date= May 14, 2014| access-date= January 5, 2017}}</ref>
Granny was also used as a focal point of environmental efforts that resulted in the Endangered Species Act protections for orca. Environmentalists estimate that Granny may have had a [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCB]] load of up to 100 parts per million, and that her descendants' reproductive systems may have been damaged by exposure to pollution.<ref name=Lyke6514>{{Cite
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==Orca lifespan==
{{main|Orca#Life cycle}}
Estimates of lifespans for wild orcas vary. [[SeaWorld]] says wild lifespans are 30–50 years for females, and 19–30 years for males.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seaworldcares.com/killer-whales/lifespan/|title=Lifespan|work=SeaWorld Cares}}</ref>
These estimates depart from the findings of a 2005 study, which pegged the mean age of females at 45.8 years and males at 31.0 during the period between 1973 and 1996.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Peter F. |last1=Olesiuk |first2=Graeme M. |last2=Ellis |first3=John K.B. |last3=Ford |title=Life History and Population Dynamics of Northern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in British Columbia |url=http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/CSAS/Csas/DocREC/2005/RES2005_045_e.pdf |date=2005 |publisher=Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat}}</ref> Marine conservation groups argue that even these estimates are low due to the effects of hunting, pollution, and capture on the wild populations, and that natural wild orca lifespans are equivalent to that of humans, with male orcas living up to 75 years and female orcas living up to 80 years.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}
Orcas are one of the few species to exhibit [[Menopause#Other_animals|menopause]] and Granny's great age gave her a chance to use her skills to enhance the reproductive success of her offspring (see [[Grandmother hypothesis]]).{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
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