Rare Footage Shows Humpback Whale Mourning Its Stillborn Calf
WHO:
CBS News - A female humpback whale is featured in the footage.
Phys.org - Research was conducted by Griffith University and Sea World Foundation.
WHAT:
Live Science - The study was published in the journal Discover Animals.
Live Science - The mother whale did not attempt to lift the calf's body to the surface, indicating she may have recognized it had died during birth.
The Guardian - The calf was located just a kilometre off Australia’s Gold Coast.
The Guardian - The study is the first detailed scientific observation of a humpback whale mother attending to her deceased newborn calf.
Live Science - Researchers documented a humpback whale mom grieving her stillborn calf in a first-of-its-kind video.
Live Science - The footage was recorded off the coast of southeastern Australia in July 2025.
Live Science - The study found that only about 20 births of humpback whales have been observed and described in literature, none involving a stillborn calf.
Live Science - The whale mom displayed "postmortem attentive behavior," which included repeatedly diving down and resting next to the calf for about a minute.
Live Science - The behavior lasted for at least 90 minutes and possibly days, although researchers left after about two hours of observation.
Live Science - The other adult whale present was likely a female escort supporting the pregnant female during birth.
CBS News - The footage shows the whale staying close to its dead calf, touching it with its head and fin.
Phys.org - The observation documents the grieving behavior of humpback whale mothers when their calves die.
WHERE:
CBS News - The calf is located on the seafloor.
WHY:
The Guardian - The research aims to fill a gap in understanding how baleen whales cope with death, as previous observations of such behaviors were primarily documented in toothed whales.
Phys.org - The research suggests that humpback whale mothers may experience grief as a response to the loss of their calves.
HOW:
Phys.org - The grieving behavior was documented through rare research observations.
(UPDATED September 17, 2026 08:00 UTC)
A new study published in the journal Discover Animals provides the first detailed scientific observation of a humpback whale mother attending to her deceased newborn calf, which was found just a kilometre off Australia’s Gold Coast. Notably, the mother whale did not attempt to lift the calf's body to the surface, suggesting she may have recognized that it had died during birth. This research aims to fill a gap in understanding how baleen whales cope with death, as previous observations of such behaviors have mainly focused on toothed whales.
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(UPDATED September 17, 2026 05:01 UTC)
Researchers have captured a groundbreaking video of a humpback whale mother grieving her stillborn calf, marking the first documentation of such behavior. Recorded off the coast of southeastern Australia in July 2025, the footage reveals the mother engaging in "postmortem attentive behavior," where she repeatedly dove down and rested next to her calf for about a minute at a time, a behavior that lasted for at least 90 minutes. The study highlights that only around 20 humpback whale births have been observed and described in literature, with none previously involving a stillborn calf, and suggests that another adult whale present may have been a female escort supporting the grieving mother.
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(UPDATED September 16, 2026 19:06 UTC)
Researchers from Griffith University and the Sea World Foundation have captured rare footage of a female humpback whale displaying grieving behavior as it stays close to its dead calf on the seafloor, gently touching it with its head and fin. This observation highlights the emotional response of humpback whale mothers to the loss of their calves, suggesting that they may experience grief. The findings were documented through meticulous research observations, shedding light on the complex emotional lives of these marine mammals.