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Humpback whale seen grieving dead calf in rare footage: "Heartbreaking to watch"
CBS News • • science
Key Points:
- New research documents a female humpback whale apparently grieving over her stillborn calf off Australia's Gold Coast, marking the first detailed observation of such behavior in this species.
- The whale was seen maintaining close contact with the deceased calf on the seafloor for several hours or possibly days, touching it with her head and fin while accompanied by another whale.
- Researchers suggest this behavior may represent grief-related actions, highlighting the strong emotional bond between mother and calf in socially complex marine mammals.
- Similar mourning behaviors have been observed in other marine mammals, such as orcas, and are comparable to grieving rituals seen in elephants and apes on land.
- The study, published in Discover Animals, adds rare insight into the emotional lives of whales, a phenomenon difficult to document at sea.
