'It is extremely rare to witness': Scientists record humpback whale mom grieving her stillborn calf in first-of-its-kind footage

In an extraordinary first-of-its-kind video, researchers have documented a humpback whale mom grieving her stillborn calf. The footage was recorded off the coast of southeastern Australia in July 2025, according to a study published Wednesday (Sept. 16) in the journal Discover Animals . In the clip, a female humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) hovers a

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  1. First Documented Humpback Whale Maternal Grief: Researchers captured rare footage off Australia in July 2025 showing a humpback mother carrying her stillborn calf, providing the first direct evidence of grief-like behavior in the species.
  2. Top 3 Most Intelligent Whale Species: While humpback whales show complex emotions, scientists consistently rank these three species as the most cognitively advanced cetaceans based on neural complexity and social behavior.
  3. Three Records of Animal Grief and Mourning: Evidence of mourning is rare in the wild; these documented cases represent the most significant instances of non-human animals processing death.

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