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Female humpback whale stayed with stillborn calf for days

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 11:28 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

A female humpback whale stayed beside her stillborn calf off the Gold Coast.
She remained with the calf for at least 90 minutes, possibly days, making eye contact and brushing it.
She did not attempt to lift the calf, indicating awareness of its death.
Researchers Olaf Meynecke (Griffith University) and Andrew Mulville (Sea World Foundation) called the behavior grief-related.
The July 2025 footage was released on Sept. 16 2026 in Discover Animals.

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Story summary

A female humpback whale stayed beside her stillborn calf off the Gold Coast.
She remained with the calf for at least 90 minutes, possibly days, making eye contact and brushing it.
She did not attempt to lift the calf, indicating awareness of its death.
Researchers Olaf Meynecke (Griffith University) and Andrew Mulville (Sea World Foundation) called the behavior grief-related.
The July 2025 footage was released on Sept. 16 2026 in Discover Animals.