Tahlequah, the Southern Resident orca who carried her dead calf for 17 days in 2018, is mourning the loss of another newborn, raising concerns about her health.

T ahlequah, an orca well-known for having carried her dead calf for over two weeks back in 2018, has been struck by a heartbreaking event once again. After it was recently announced that the orca had given birth, the new calf has since died – and Tahlequah has been spotted carrying this calf too.

An orca has been spotted carrying the body of its deceased calf. The orca named Tahlequah, first gained global attention in 2018, when she did a similar gesture when her previous female newborn died.

Tahlequah, an orca mother known as J35, was observed carrying her dead calf across the waters near Washington State. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared images of this on social media, according to n-tv.

Tahlequah is once again carrying a dead calf, researchers said, as she did in 2018 in a 17-day, 1,000-mile tour that shocked the region and world.

Tahlequah, the killer whale who carried her dead calf and swam with him for 17 days, has given birth to her second baby since 2018.

The calf was born Dec. 24. Observing researchers noted unusual unspecified behaviors by mother and calf that led them to worry for the young whale's health.

The same southern resident orca that famously carried her dead calf for over two weeks in 2018 has lost another one. Marine biologists fear inbreeding is weakening the endangered pod of some 30 orcas struggling to find enough Chinook salmon.

In 2018, researchers observed J35 pushing her dead calf along for 17 days, propping it up for more than 1,000 miles.