A female humpback whale was documented attending a stillborn calf off Australia’s Gold Coast last July, providing rare footage of postmortem behavior in baleen whales, according to research published in Discover Animals and reported by outlets including AFP and CBS News. The encounter, which researchers describe as the first detailed scientific documentation of this kind for the species, highlights the complex social bonds and maternal instincts of marine mammals.
Rare Underwater Footage Captures Humpback Whale Behavior
The underwater video shows a newborn humpback whale calf lying motionless on the seafloor roughly one kilometre off the Gold Coast, according to the study. For more than an hour, the mother repeatedly returned to the spot, resting beside the calf eye-to-eye and gently touching it with her head and pectoral fin. Andrew Mulville of the Sea World Foundation, who witnessed the event, told AFP that the interaction was unexpected. “At first sight, I thought it was just two whales resting on the surface, but their behaviour was unusual,” Mulville said, adding that it was not what he expected to see out at sea that day. A second adult whale, identified as a possible escort, also remained nearby for several hours, according to the research team.
Evaluating Grief and Maternal Attachment in Cetaceans
Researchers noted that the female humpback did not attempt to lift the calf to the surface, which suggests she may have recognized the death shortly after birth. Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University’s Whales and Climate Research Program told AFP that watching the female make continuous contact with the deceased calf was heartbreaking. While toothed whales like orcas and pilot whales have frequently been observed carrying dead calves for days or weeks—such as the well-documented case of the killer whale Tahlequah in 2018—similar observations in baleen whales are scarce because dead newborns typically sink quickly. Meynecke stated that the observations point to a strong bond between mother and calf, though researchers emphasize that terms like postmortem attentive behavior are preferred over definitively concluding that whales grieve in a human sense.
Did you know? While cetacean epimeletic behavior—actions taken to care for distressed companions—is well-documented among toothed whales like dolphins and orcas, observing similar acts in baleen whales remains exceptionally rare due to the rapid sinking of deceased newborns.
Comparing Cetacean and Land Mammal Responses to Death
The behavioral response observed off the Gold Coast mirrors rituals seen in other highly social, non-human mammals. According to Meynecke, species such as elephants and apes regularly engage in complex, heartbreaking responses when losing offspring. However, while land-dwelling mammals are observed with relative frequency, documenting these emotional stages at sea remains a distinct challenge for marine biologists. As whale populations gradually recover and underwater camera technology improves, researchers anticipate capturing more data on how marine mammals navigate loss and maintain social structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the humpback whale do when her calf died?
According to researchers, the mother stayed close to the stillborn calf on the seafloor for several hours, resting beside it eye-to-eye and touching it with her head and pectoral fin.
Is this the first time whales have been seen caring for dead calves?
While toothed whales like orcas and dolphins have been documented carrying dead calves for days or weeks, researchers state this is the first detailed scientific study of postmortem attendance in humpback whales.