A rare observation of a humpback whale mother remaining beside her dead calf is offering researchers a closer look at how these animals may respond to loss.
The encounter, documented by researchers from Griffith University and Sea World Foundation, raises the possibility that humpback whale mothers may experience grief when a calf dies.
In 2025, a female humpback whale was observed off the southern Gold Coast with an escort whale after apparently giving birth to a deceased calf. The mother stayed near the calf for several hours and may have remained with it for days.
[See link to video below article.]
Rare Death-Related Behavior in Humpback Whales
Dr. Olaf Meynecke, from Griffith University’s Whales and Climate Research Program, said attentive behavior toward dead individuals has been recorded mainly in toothed whales and delphinids (known as odontocetes). Similar observations remain far less common in published research involving baleen whales such as humpbacks.
“Unlike reports of toothed whales where mothers have been observed lifting their dead calves to the surface, this humpback whale mother showed prolonged post-mortem behavior and attention towards her deceased calf under the surface,” Dr. Meynecke said.
“She remained close to the calf, maintaining eye contact and positioning herself next to her calf over several hours and maybe even days.
“These observed behaviors were consistent with care-giving or nurturing actions and post-mortem attentive responses documented in socially complex mammals, and indicated an inherent, strong maternal attachment to the calf.”
Cetaceans are among the most widely recognized and closely watched marine animals, regularly attracting significant public attention.
An Unexpected Encounter at Sea
Sea World Foundation Rescue Boat Captain Andrew Mulville witnessed the unusual interaction firsthand.
“When I actually worked out what was happening, I was totally surprised.”
“At first sight, I thought it was just two whales resting on the surface, but their behavior was unusual.
“It was definitely not what I was expecting to see out at sea that day.”
The observation adds to the small number of documented cases involving deceased calves in baleen whales. According to Dr. Meynecke, these rare and deeply sad encounters could help scientists better understand how large whales process death and what their behavior may reveal about cognition and emotion.
What Whale Behavior May Reveal About Grief
Because such events are rarely witnessed, researchers say careful documentation is important for determining whether these behaviors reflect maternal attachment, grief-like responses, or other forms of social and emotional behavior.
“This case study highlights the need for continued systematic documentation of rare neonatal mortality events to better understand the cognitive, emotional, and evolutionary significance of post-mortem behavior in large whales,” he said.
“Understanding how non-human animals responded to death provides insight into their emotional lives, social bonds, and cognitive capacities.”
The study, ‘First documentation of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) post-mortem attendance of a stillborn,’ has been published in Discover Animals.
