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Humpback whale behavioral observations in Australia

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2026-09-17 00:23 UTC → 2026-09-17 10:11 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Recent marine research in Australia has provided rare documentation of humpback whale reproductive and behavioral patterns. In August 2026, drone footage captured what is believed to be the first aerial recording of a humpback whale giving birth off the coast of New South Wales. The footage, recorded by Alexander Forrest and documented in collaboration with the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), shows a mother whale delivering a light gray calf. The recording is intended for scientific analysis to provide insights into reproduction and early life behavior. By September 2026, research published in the journal Discover Animals detailed a separate, rare observation off Australia’s Gold Coast. Footage filmed in July 2025 showed a female humpback whale appearing to grieve a stillborn calf. Researchers from Griffith University and the Sea World Foundation noted the whale remained in close proximity to the deceased calf on the seafloor for an extended period, maintaining physical contact and eye contact. Unlike toothed whales, which often attempt to lift dead calves to the surface, this humpback whale remained with the calf underwater, using her head and pectoral fin to touch the newborn. Lead researcher Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University noted that while such behaviors have been observed in toothed whales and dolphins, this is the first recorded instance in a baleen whale. Scientists suggest these actions represent “post-mortem attentive behavior” and indicate strong maternal bonds and complex emotional responses in baleen whales, a group where such behaviors have previously been largely undocumented.

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