World’s oldest killer whale who swam the oceans before the Titanic sank dies at the age of 105
Scientists had been following the elderly whale before she went missing from her pod
THE world's oldest killer whale known affectionately as "Granny" is thought to have died at 105-years-old.
The matriarch is missing presumed dead after she has not been seen visiting her pod since October last year.
Granny's official name was J2 and she recently featured in a BBC documentary that studied her clan.
Her family of whales live in the Salish Sea close to Vancouver in Canada and Seattle in the northwest of the USA.
Granny was first observed and photographed by Dr Ken Balcomb of the Centre for Whale Research in 1976.
He last saw her in October last year when she swam north far ahead of the others.
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It is believed Granny was born in 1911 - a year before the Titanic sank.
If the estimation is correct the whale would have been 105 years old.
Dr Balcombe said: "Perhaps other dedicated whale-watchers have seen her since then.
"But by year's end she is officially missing from the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and with regret we now consider he deceased."
British scientists have been following Granny's pod to study whale menopause.
Only humans, killer whales, and pilot whales go through the menopause in the entire animal kingdom.
Scientists are trying to work out why.
Professor Darren Croft from the University of Exeter, who is leading the research, told BBC News: "It was inevitable that this day was going to come but it is very sad news and a further blow to this population."
He added that is is "just incredible" to think of what Granny had lived through.
He said: "She lived through the live captures and in recent years her world has changed dramatically with dwindling salmon stocks and increases in shipping threatening the survival of this incredible population.
"Although J2 is gone we will continue to benefit for many decades to come, from the incredible data collected on her life over the last 40 years by the Center for Whale Research."
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