A female humpback whale was observed apparently grieving over her stillborn calf in footage captured last year off Australia’s Gold Coast, according to new research released on Wednesday. The recordings provide rare evidence of complex emotional behavior among baleen whales.

The footage shows the mother whale remaining close to her lifeless calf as it lay motionless on the sea floor. Accompanied by another whale, the mother is seen maintaining eye contact and touching the calf with her head and fin. Witness Andrew Mulville from the Sea World Foundation described the behavior as unexpected and unusual, noting that it differed significantly from typical whale resting behavior.

Researchers reported that the mother stayed with the deceased calf for several hours and possibly days, which contrasts with previously documented behaviors in baleen whales. Ecologists studying the footage suggested that such post-mortem attentiveness in humpbacks had not previously been recorded. Dr. Olaf Meynecke, one of the researchers, explained that the behaviors observed align with caregiving or nurturing actions seen in socially complex mammals and reflect a strong maternal bond.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that some whale species exhibit social complexity and emotional responses to loss similar to those documented in terrestrial mammals. While studies on cetacean mourning have largely focused on toothed whales such as dolphins, the observations off the Australian coast provide new insight into the emotional lives of baleen whales, a group which includes humpbacks.

The behavior underscores the potential for advanced social and emotional capacities among whales, raising further questions about how these species experience and respond to death within their groups. Researchers emphasized the need for ongoing observation to better understand the significance and prevalence of such behaviors in wild whale populations.