A video filmed off Australia’s southern Gold Coast shows a humpback whale mother staying with what appears to be her stillborn calf. The mother is seen repeatedly near the calf’s body, behavior that researchers interpret as a response to the calf’s death.
The observation is reported as a rare example of whale “grief”-like behavior. Researchers from Griffith University and the Sea World Foundation say humpback mothers may show signs of distress or altered behavior when their calves die, supported by the documented pattern in the footage. The sources describe the calf as presumed deceased at birth, and the account centers on the mother’s continued attention rather than any intervention by people.
While all outlets focus on the same video and circumstance, they differ mainly in wording. One outlet frames the event with stronger emotional language, while another emphasizes that the finding comes from a research observation. Both agree that the case provides unusual evidence that humpback mothers can exhibit prolonged caregiving-like behavior following a calf’s death.
