World's oldest known orca presumed dead in blow to endangered whales

Known as Granny and believed to be 105, the matriarch of a small population of struggling Puget Sound orcas was first identified by researchers in the 1970s

The world's oldest known orca - a century-old matriarch of a small population of endangered Puget Sound orcas - has been missing for months and is presumed dead by researchers in what is being described as a tremendous blow to an already struggling population.

Known as Granny and believed to be 105 years old, the orca has not been seen by researchers since mid-October, according to the Centre for Whale Research in North America's Pacific Northwest.