Unfathomable: Tahlequah’s Story
Celebrate the beauty and diversity of our oceans as author Mary Boone presents her latest work Unfathomable: Twenty Wild (But True) Stories of the Ocean, alongside Nora Nickum, sharing her new book Twelve Daring Grays, during our Nature of Writing Speaker Series on Thursday, March 19, at 6PM at Third Place Books, Ravenna.
In my new book Unfathomable: Twenty Wild (But True) Stories of the Ocean, I take young readers beneath the waves to explore the science, mystery, and urgent challenges facing our oceans. Each chapter centers on real people and real events, blending research with narrative so kids can see how discovery happens and how ordinary individuals can make an extraordinary difference. There are stories about underwater cities, octopus wrestling, expensive whale poo, and more. My goal with this book was not just to share fascinating facts, but to help young readers understand that science is deeply human. It is driven by curiosity and powered by compassion.
I believe children are ready for stories that are both honest and hopeful. When they encounter the realities facing endangered species, they also deserve to see resilience, collaboration, and the possibility of change. The story of one grieving orca captured international attention and sparked difficult conversations about extinction, responsibility, and empathy. It’s a story with which those of us in the Pacific Northwest are intimately familiar. It’s also a powerful example of how a single animal’s story can move millions and why it’s so important to share these stories with the next generation.
Grieving A Loss
An orca known as J35 gave birth on July 24, 2018. Her calf lived less than an hour. It’s sad, but it happens. A lot. In fact, researchers from the University of Washington recently found that only three out of every ten southern resident orca pregnancies result in a healthy baby.
The southern residents are the smallest of the resident orca populations. Resident orcas live in large pods and stay within their family groups their entire lives. They eat fish, as opposed to Bigg’s orcas, which eat marine mammals. The southern resident orcas include the J, K, and L pods – seventy to seventy-five members in total. These orcas, with their distinctive black and white coloring, are members of the oceanic dolphin family. That’s right: The creatures known as the southern resident killer whales or toothed whales, are the largest members of the dolphin family. Females can weigh up to 8,000 pounds and males weigh up to 10,000 pounds. They may live 30 to 100 years.
Perhaps the most important fact about southern resident orcas, though, is that they are an endangered species. When J35’s baby died in 2018, the orca community had not had a surviving calf in three years.
The losses take an emotional toll on orcas and those who love them – and J35, also known as Tahlequah, was no exception. The twenty-year-old whale experienced a sadness so deep that the world grieved with her. When Tahlequah’s calf died, she kept it afloat for 17 days. She balanced the baby’s 400-pound body on her head or gently gripped it in her teeth as she followed her pod. They swam continuously, day after day in the waters between Vancouver, Canada, and the San Juan Islands in northwest Washington State. This 1,000-mile journey became known as Tahlequah’s grief tour.
Over the course of the two and a half weeks, the calf’s body would occasionally dip below the water’s surface. Each time, the weary mother orca would dive down and pick it up to prevent it from sinking. Over and over again. When it appeared Tahlequah’s own health was at risk because she wasn’t eating, other orcas from her pod stepped in to help keep the calf’s body afloat.
At first, scientists thought all this behavior was normal. Orcas are matrilineal – they spend almost their entire lives with their mothers. The bond is tight, perhaps because their pregnancies last 18 months (twice that of humans).
Prior to the death of Tahlequah’s calf, orca mothers had been seen propping their dead calves onto their foreheads in an apparent attempt to keep them with the pod. They’d been known to nudge their babies’ bodies along for a few days or even a week. Tahlequah’s devotion to her baby took things to a whole new level. And people took notice.
About the author
Mary Boone has written 70+ nonfiction books for young readers, most recently Unfathomable: 20 (Wild But True) Stories of the Ocean (a Junior Library Gold selection), Flying Feminist, Pedal Pusher, School of Fish, and Bugs for Breakfast. Mary and her family live in Tacoma, Washington. Visit Mary’s website to learn more about her and her work.
Excerpted and adapted from UNFATHOMABLE: 20 WILD (BUT TRUE) STORIES ABOUT THE OCEAN by Mary Boone, art by Max Temescu (February 2026). Published by Bright Matter Books/Penguin Random House. All rights reserved. Used with permission from the publisher.