Weeping whales: why one humpback whale mother stayed beside her dead newborn
Our latest study takes a closer look at the emotional lives of humpback whales.
On a tragic day in July last year, the motionless body of a newborn humpback whale calf was discovered on the seafloor, just a kilometer off Australia’s Gold Coast. The heartbreaking scene was captured through underwater video, revealing the mother whale returning to the same spot for over an hour. She gently touched the calf with her head and pectoral fin, resting beside it with eyes locked on the lifeless creature.
This unprecedented case suggests that it may be the first documented instance of a humpback whale mother caring for her deceased newborn calf, offering a rare glimpse into the behavior of these highly social creatures when faced with death.
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