‘Heartbreaking and extremely rare’: Mother humpback whale carries stillborn calf through the ocean; scientists explain the unusual behaviour
A mother humpback whale was filmed repeatedly returning to her stillborn calf off Australia’s Gold Coast, displaying prolonged attention toward the newborn in an encounter researchers describe as the first scientifically documented case of such behaviour in the species. The footage, recorded in July 2025, is now detailed in a new study published in Discover…