You know how they say old dogs are the best dogs? That may be true, but do you know what’s even better than an old dog? A super old whale! Despite the fact that SeaWorld has told us most whales only live to be about 30, this majestic, jumping, beauty has exceeded our ill-informed expectations and then some!
Her name is “Granny,” a.k.a. J2, and she’s a killer whale believed to be born in 1911. To give you some perspective, that means Granny was born the same year the Titanic launched, so she’s seen it all.
We sat down with Granny for a few minutes and asked her the question on everyone’s mind — ‘How on Earth have you maintained your youth?’ To which she said, well, nothing because whales don’t speak English, nor do they sit, nor do they agree to interviews, but we imagine she’d say something like, “exercise and plenty of water.”
While the Orca Network does admit their margin of error for guessing Granny’s age is 12 years, her estimated age makes Granny the oldest known living killer whale. She was recently spotted by Orca Network photographer Heather MacIntyre swimming and jumping with other orcas off the coast of Washington.
MacIntyre told The Dodo that sightings like these are bittersweet. As captivating as Granny and her companions may be, they are in serious danger. The Orca’s food supply is devastatingly threatened and, if we fail to protect them, it’s possible they’ll all be dead in 20 years.
“We’ve lost 95 percent of our Chinook salmon out here,” MacIntyre told The Dodo. “It’s unsustainable, yet people keep buying salmon. It’s a huge problem.”
Granny has been alive for the best of times and the worst of times, so she knows where to take her family to find food, but other whales are not as fortunate. To do your part, consider downloading Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch App, and practice eating sustainably.
(Via Fox 11)
