However, this estimate was later theorized to have been based on mistaken information and more recent studies put her at 65–80 years old.

[4][5][6][7] Granny lived in the northeast Pacific Ocean and coastal bays of Washington state and British Columbia.

Simon Pidcock of Ocean EcoVentures said he had seen Granny thousands of times, and that the markings on orca fins were like fingerprints.

[5] Granny had been captured with the rest of her pod in 1967 but was too old at that time for a marine mammal park and was released.

They frequent the inland waters of British Columbia and Washington state in the summer months, but roam from southeast Alaska to central California.

[18] Granny was also used as a focal point of environmental efforts that resulted in the Endangered Species Act protections for orca.

Environmentalists estimate that Granny may have had a PCB load of up to 100 parts per million, and that her descendants' reproductive systems may have been damaged by exposure to pollution.

[23] These estimates depart from the findings of a 2005 study, which pegged the mean age of females at 45.8 years and males at 31.0 during the period between 1973 and 1996.

[citation needed] Orcas are one of the few species to exhibit menopause and Granny's great age gave her a chance to use her skills to enhance the reproductive success of her offspring (see Grandmother hypothesis).