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Humpback Whale and Dead Calf Sighting Suggests Grieving Behavior
Confirmed
In Short: The sighting of the whale in the Sacramento River and the rare observation of a humpback attending to a dead calf highlight the complex behaviors and emotional capacities of these marine mammals.
A rare sighting off the coast of Palm Beach, Queensland, Australia, has raised questions about the emotional lives of humpback whales. In July 2025, rescue boat captain Andrew Mulville spotted two adult humpback whales and noticed tissue floating on the surface that resembled amniotic membrane.
As Mulville approached, he saw a small newborn calf, less than four meters long, on the seafloor. This sighting, detailed in Discover Animals, suggests that baleen whales may mourn their dead.
Marine biologist Olaf Meynecke and Mulville report that the female whale's prolonged interaction with the calf's body could indicate a form of grieving. Meynecke notes, 'We can’t prove it, but I’m very certain they were the same whales, which also suggests that this is a prolonged change of behavior.
The close bond between a mother humpback whale and her calf typically lasts about one year. This sighting is believed to be the first detailed documentation of a humpback attending to a calf after its death.
In a separate incident, a fully grown humpback whale was spotted in the Sacramento River, far from its usual Pacific Ocean habitat. Fisherman Denny Glover recorded video footage of the whale breaking the surface near the Rio Vista Bridge.
Kathi George, director of Cetacean Conservation Biology at The Marine Mammal Center, warned the public to maintain a respectful distance from the whale. George stated, 'While it’s unknown whether this whale is just passing through or if there is an underlying, unknown ailment, the best thing people can do is experience this adult whale’s presence from a respectful distance.
Fisherman Josue Mejia Blanco also reported seeing the whale in the San Francisco Bay, describing it as the size of a school bus. The whale's presence in these waters remains a mystery, with researchers documenting the individual 15 times over the past 24 years.
The sighting of the whale in the Sacramento River and the rare observation of a humpback attending to a dead calf highlight the complex behaviors and emotional capacities of these marine mammals.
Marine biologist Olaf Meynecke emphasizes the unique sensory experiences of whales, saying, 'Remember that “the whale is experiencing their world in a completely different form and shape.”
What this adds
The sightings of both the grieving whale and the out-of-habitat whale provide new insights into humpback whale behavior and emotional responses.
What's confirmed
- A rare sighting off the coast of Palm Beach, Queensland, Australia, has raised questions about the emotional lives of humpback whales. In July 2025, rescue boat captain Andrew Mulville spotted two adult humpback whales and noticed tissue floating on the surface that resembled amniotic membrane.
- As Mulville approached, he saw a small newborn calf, less than four meters long, on the seafloor. This sighting, detailed in Discover Animals, suggests that baleen whales may mourn their dead.
- Marine biologist Olaf Meynecke and Mulville report that the female whale's prolonged interaction with the calf's body could indicate a form of grieving. Meynecke notes, 'We can’t prove it, but I’m very certain they were the same whales, which also suggests that this is a prolonged change of behavior.
- The close bond between a mother humpback whale and her calf typically lasts about one year. This sighting is believed to be the first detailed documentation of a humpback attending to a calf after its death.
- In a separate incident, a fully grown humpback whale was spotted in the Sacramento River, far from its usual Pacific Ocean habitat. Fisherman Denny Glover recorded video footage of the whale breaking the surface near the Rio Vista Bridge.
- Kathi George, director of Cetacean Conservation Biology at The Marine Mammal Center, warned the public to maintain a respectful distance from the whale. George stated, 'While it’s unknown whether this whale is just passing through or if there is an underlying, unknown ailment, the best thing people can do is experience this adult whale’s presence from a respectful distance.
- Fisherman Josue Mejia Blanco also reported seeing the whale in the San Francisco Bay, describing it as the size of a school bus. The whale's presence in these waters remains a mystery, with researchers documenting the individual 15 times over the past 24 years.
- The sighting of the whale in the Sacramento River and the rare observation of a humpback attending to a dead calf highlight the complex behaviors and emotional capacities of these marine mammals.
What's still developing
- During this time, the pair have an incredibly close bond.
- Some toothed whales, such as orcas, have been seen spending long periods with dead calves, occasionally carrying them at the surface for days.
- Such demonstrations of apparent grief are rarely seen in baleen whales.
- This may be because newborn baleen whales are born without the fat stores that would cause a whale corpse to float.
- When Denny Glover went fishing with buddies on the Sacramento River, he was hoping for a solid catch, but he certainly was not expecting to encounter a fully grown humpback whale.
- Glover spotted the whale surfacing on Wednesday while fishing for salmon and striped bass from a 21-foot (6.4-meter) boat, which is less than half the size of the animal.
- The whale entered San Francisco Bay earlier in the week and has been moving east into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California's largest river delta, the Marine Mammal Center said in a statement.
- Back in 1985, a humpback nicknamed Humphrey spent several weeks around Rio Vista before finding its way back to the ocean, The Marine Mammal Center said.
- Those whales eventually navigated back to sea, the center said.
- Witnessing the whale so far upriver was an incredible thrill, Glover noted, adding that the animal appeared to be in good health despite being far from home.