Humpback whale mother may have mourned her dead calf for days

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.

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.