Humpback whale mother filmed grieving her stillborn calf on the seafloor in a first for the species

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

A female humpback whale was captured on video staying beside her stillborn calf on the seafloor off Australia's Gold Coast, in what scientists say is the first scientifically documented case of grief behaviour in the species. Researcher Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University, who led the study published in the journal Discover Animals, called the footage "heartbreaking." The whale was observed for more than an hour repeatedly returning to the calf's body, nudging it with her head and fin while holding eye contact.

Andrew Mulville of the Sea World Foundation recorded the footage near Palm Beach off the Gold Coast in July last year, at first mistaking what he saw for two whales at rest.

At no point did the mother attempt to bring the calf up to the surface — behaviour researchers interpret as a sign that she recognised the newborn was dead soon after birth.

Meynecke drew parallels between her actions and grief responses seen in elephants and great apes, noting that all three are highly social species with significant cognitive complexity.