Scientists with the Victoria (B.C.) Marine Science Association say a necropsy found that the whale found dead on Vancouver Island was pregnant with a full-term fetus, which may have caused the whale's death.
The 18-year-old orca J-32, nicknamed Rhapsody, was found dead on Thursday.
The VMSA said via Facebook on Sunday that the current theory on the cause of death is that the calf may have died first, resulting in an infection, which contributed to or caused Rhapsody's death. Lab results are pending.
The orca's head will be sent to a lab in the United States for MRI testing to determine if there was any acoustic damage, though that is not suspected.
The Victoria Marine Science Association said the necropsy began with a sage smudging ceremony by a local Indigenous man.
"It was a very moving and powerful way to send Rhapsody on to rest and thank her for the information she and her calf have provided to science," the Association said.
CTV reported Sunday that an investigation is underway after it was discovered that four of the whale's teeth had been sawed off and stolen.
The death marks a major blow for a population already struggling with low birth and survival rates. The total population is now 77.
Earlier this fall an orca calf was presumed dead seven weeks after its birth. It's been three years since the J, K or L pod produced a baby that survived more than a year.
