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Grieving orca mother stops carrying dead calf

An orca mom released its dead calf after carrying it for more than two weeks.

SEATTLE — After 17 days and 1,000 miles, the orca known as J35 has stopped carrying her dead calf. She was spotted chasing a school of salmon with other orcas in her pod near Haro Strait on Saturday afternoon.

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Telephoto digital images show that J35 appears to be in good physical condition with no "peanut-head" after the long ordeal.

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The body of the deceased calf likely sank to the bottom of the Salish Sea and it is unlikely that researchers will be able to recover it for a necropsy.

The calf died July 24.