Humpback Whale Grieves Stillborn Calf: Insights into Marine Mammal Emotions

Researchers have documented a female humpback whale grieving a stillborn calf, revealing rare insights into the emotional complexity of these marine mammals. The footage captured off Australia’s Gold Coast shows the whale lingering near the dead calf on the seafloor, maintaining eye contact and touching the calf with her head and fin.

Andrew Mulville from Sea World Foundation recounted witnessing the event, noting the unusual behavior of the whales. He said, “It was definitely not what I was expecting to see out at sea that day.” According to researchers, the whale remained with the deceased calf for possibly several hours or even days.

Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University’s Whales and Climate Research Program described the scene as heartbreaking. Meynecke’s study was published on September 16, 2026, detailing the post-mortem attendance of a stillborn whale calf. He emphasized the strong bond between whale mothers and their calves, reflecting on the emotional processes these socially complex mammals experience following the death of their offspring.

Researchers observed other deceased whale calves in the area during this time, indicating the rarity of the documented behavior. The whale did not attempt to bring the calf to the surface, suggesting an awareness that it was dead shortly after birth. This may represent grief-related behavior in humpback whales.

Grieving behavior in marine mammals isn’t entirely unprecedented. An orca made headlines in 2018 for carrying her dead calf for more than two weeks. Such behaviors have been observed in elephants and apes, illustrating grieving rituals across different species.

The footage surfaced shortly after a photographer in Australia captured a humpback whale birth in the first drone-recorded instance. Additionally, a study was published earlier documenting two humpback whales’ record-breaking swim between breeding grounds, a journey of approximately 9,383 miles.