Whale Grief Observation Sheds Light on Humpback Emotional Lives

Unlike toothed whales, where females have been seen lifting their dead calves to the surface, the female humpback whale stayed below the surface with her calf.

“She stayed close to the calf, maintained eye contact and positioned herself next to the calf for several hours, perhaps even days,” says Olaf Meynecke from Griffith University in a press comment.

Meynecke says that while these types of observations are incredibly sad, they contribute to the limited knowledge about how baleen whales deal with death and suggest a strong, innate maternal attachment.

“Understanding how non-human animals react to death provides insight into their emotional lives, social bonds and cognitive abilities.”