Humpback whale seen grieving dead calf in rare footage: "Heartbreaking to watch"
September 16, 2026 / 1:55 PM EDT / CBS/AFP
TL;DR
- A female humpback whale was observed grieving a stillborn calf off Australia's Gold Coast.
- The whale stayed with the deceased calf for several hours, possibly days, showing unusual behavior.
- Researchers documented the whale touching the calf and maintaining eye contact, suggesting grief.
- This is the first detailed, documented occurrence of such behavior for this species.
- Similar grief-related behaviors have been observed in other marine mammals like orcas, as well as terrestrial mammals like elephants and apes.
- The study was published in Discover Animals.