Researchers have documented rare footage of a female humpback whale interacting with a stillborn calf off Australia’s Gold Coast, offering insight into potential grieving behavior among the species. The encounter, filmed in July of last year and published in Discover Animals, shows the mother and an escort whale staying with the deceased newborn for hours.
Underwater Footage Captures Rare Post-Mortem Behavior Near Gold Coast
Filmed in waters off Palm Beach, the video reveals a female humpback whale continuously approaching her deceased calf, gently touching the newborn with her head and fin. The mother then settles into a motionless state directly alongside the body on the seafloor, accompanied by a second adult escort animal. According to reporting by ABC, the pair remained with the stillborn for at least two hours, neither traveling nor socializing in their usual manner. Members of the public spotted two adult humpbacks in the same area over the next two days, although it was not confirmed if they were the same animals.
SeaWorld Foundation rescue boat captain Andrew Mulville captured the underwater footage on his day off after noticing the unusual milling behavior. CBS News notes that Mulville initially suspected the animals were merely resting on the surface before diving down with an underwater camera to investigate the interaction. Having spent 25 years caring for sick whales, seeing strandings, and conducting rescues, Mulville stated that seeing the whale give birth to a stillborn calf prompted him to put his head underwater for something he had never witnessed before.
Andrew Mulville, SeaWorld Foundation rescue boat captain, via ABC
Scientific Analysis Points to Strong Maternal Bonds and Complex Emotions
The study documenting the encounter was published Wednesday in the journal Discover Animals by researchers including Dr. Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University’s Whales and Climate Research Program. Scientists characterize the actions as post-mortem attentive behaviour, noting that such extended observation of dead humpback calves is rare because the less buoyant bodies typically sink quickly to the ocean floor.
Dr. Meynecke emphasized that the observations reflect the deep emotional connection typical of socially complex mammals. CBS News reported that Meynecke likened the emotional responses of cetaceans to those witnessed in terrestrial mammals like elephants and apes. “Having the background knowledge of the strong bond between mother and calf, and then witnessing the response of a female towards a stillborn is obviously a very unique way of observing animal behaviour and understanding what the responses might be when a situation like this occurs,” Dr. Meynecke said.
“It’s really sad,” Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University’s Whales and Climate Research Program told AFP. “It’s pretty heartbreaking to watch this female making continuous contact with the deceased calf.”
Olaf Meynecke, Griffith University’s Whales and Climate Research Program
Comparing Cetacean Responses Across Species
While grieving or post-mortem attendance has been more commonly documented among toothed whales and dolphins—such as an orca that carried her dead calf for more than two weeks in 2018 and was spotted doing so again last year carrying the body of her newborn—equivalent documentation for humpback whales remains sparse. The fact that the Gold Coast mother did not attempt to push the calf to the surface suggests she might have been aware that it was dead shortly after giving birth. A number of other deceased whale calves were observed in the area at the time, according to the researchers.
External experts weighed in on the challenges of studying these moments without falling into anthropomorphism. Macquarie University whale scientist Dr. Vanessa Pirotta, who did not participate in the research, noted that interpreting the animal’s internal state requires careful scientific observation.
Dr. Vanessa Pirotta, Macquarie University, via ABC
Broader Implications for Marine Mammal Research
Researchers hope that increased use of drones while in the water by the public will yield more data on marine mammal mortality events. Understanding how humpback whales process the loss of offspring provides baseline knowledge that could help scientists evaluate how populations react to stressors, such as entanglement in fishing gear.
As reported by ABC, Dr. Meynecke believes insights into these behavioral responses will ultimately help researchers gauge how long the impact of stress last within humpback populations.