Off the coast of Australia, researchers describe for the first time how a female humpback whale stayed with her dead calf

Off the coast of Australia, researchers have for the first time described in detail how a female humpback whale would not leave the body of her dead calf. The observation was made in 2025 off the southern Gold Coast in Queensland: the mother stayed with the newborn, which is presumed not to have survived, for several hours and possibly even days.

Details of this rare scene: the female repeatedly returned to the seafloor where the calf lay, stayed close to it, kept it in visual contact and positioned herself right beside it. Another whale — an escort — was nearby.

Previously, this behavior — post-mortem attention to a dead calf — had been described mainly in toothed whales, such as dolphins, which lifted the body toward the surface. For baleen whales, the group that includes humpbacks, there was almost no such evidence.

The case was described in the journal Discover Animals by researchers from Griffith University and the Sea World foundation. One of the witnesses, rescue vessel captain Andrew Mulville, at first took the whales for two animals resting at the surface and was surprised when he realized what was happening.

The lead researcher, Olaf Meynecke of the Whales and Climate program, notes that the observation is rare and sad and expands the still-limited understanding of how baleen whales experience death. What was seen is consistent with care for the calf and a strong maternal bond.

The authors call for the continued systematic recording of rare cases of newborn whale deaths: this helps to better understand the emotional life, social ties and cognitive abilities of large whales.

Image: Charles J. Sharp CC BY-SA 4.0 · License

Translation editor: Ловушкин А.