Humpback Mother Keeps Vigil Over Stillborn Calf, Sparking Grief Debate
Researchers document a humpback whale mother staying with her deceased newborn calf after a stillbirth off Australia’s Gold Coast, an observation that may be the first detailed case of such behavior in humpbacks. The mother repeatedly touched the calf and remained nearby for hours, suggesting postmortem attentive behavior and highlighting strong maternal bonds in baleen whales. While this raises the question of whether whales grieve, scientists caution that the emotional state cannot be confirmed and that more at-sea observations are needed to understand how whales respond to death.