Humpback whale seen grieving dead calf in rare footage: “Heartbreaking to watch”

September 16, 2026 / 1:55 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

A female humpback whale has been documented apparently grieving a stillborn calf in new research released Wednesday, offering rare insights into the complex emotions of the sea-dwelling mammals.

The footage, taken off Australia's Gold Coast last year, shows a female humpback whale staying close to the dead calf as it lies motionless on the seafloor.

Accompanied by a companion, the whale holds eye contact with the animal, touching it with its head and fin.

"At first sight, I thought it was just two whales resting on the surface, but their behaviour was unusual," said Andrew Mulville from Sea World Foundation, who witnessed the heart-wrenching moment.

"It was definitely not what I was expecting to see out at sea that day."

Researchers said the whale had stayed with the deceased animal for "several hours and possibly even days."

"It's really sad," Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University's Whales and Climate Research Program told AFP. "It's pretty heartbreaking to watch this female making continuous contact with the deceased calf."

A number of other deceased whale calves were observed in the area at the time, the researchers said.

"To our knowledge, this is the first…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/