'It is extremely rare to witness': Scientists record humpback whale mom grieving her stillborn calf in first-of-its-kind footage

Researchers in Australia captured footage of a female humpback whale repeatedly diving to make eye contact with her stillborn calf and lay next to its body on the seafloor.

By Sascha Pare Edited by Laura Mondrag n , Pandora Dewan Published 16 September 2026 In News 4 min read When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works .

Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter In an extraordinary first-of-its-kind video, researchers have documented a humpback whale mom grieving her stillborn calf.