A matriarch killer whale thought to be on the brink of starving to death has resurfaced in B.C. 's endangered southern resident killer whale population, was spotted in coastal waters looking healthier than when she was last spotted in the fall. That's a condition where fat stores in the whale dwindle so much that the typical roundness of the whale's head becomes sunken and misshapen like a peanut in shell. The deaths brought the total number of southern resident killer whales down to 74, a 35-year-low. "They're important for cultural reasons, for passing on knowledge to younger animals.

Source: CBC News March 28, 2019 06:22 UTC