科学家首次详细记录到一只座头鲸母亲对其死亡新生幼鲸的哀悼行为124。这一罕见现象发生在去年7月，地点位于澳大利亚黄金海岸外约1公里处1。母鲸在死亡幼鲸旁停留超过一小时，不断用头部和胸鳍轻触幼鲸1。研究人员指出，母鲸未曾尝试将幼鲸抬至海面，这可能表明母鲸意识到幼鲸已不存活1。随后有两只成年座头鲸在该区域停留了接下来的两天1。
这一发现填补了关于须鲸类动物对死亡反应的研究空白1。科学家表示，"这极其罕见能够目睹"4。虽然观察到的行为可能反映了悲伤情感，但研究人员坦言难以直接测量鲸类的情感状态1。考虑到座头鲸妊娠期近一年，且母鲸随后需花费数月用营养丰富的母乳喂养幼鲸1，这只母鲸对死亡新生儿的持续陪伴提示了鲸类可能具有复杂的情感反应能力。
Researchers have recorded the first detailed scientific documentation of a humpback whale mother tending to her dead newborn calf, an observation that offers rare insight into whether these marine mammals experience grief.14 The incident occurred approximately one kilometer off Australia's Gold Coast in July, when the mother whale remained beside her deceased calf for more than an hour, repeatedly touching it with her head and pectoral fins.1
The whale's behavior during this period suggested an awareness of her calf's death—notably, she did not attempt to lift the stillborn to the surface, a typical response when calves are alive.1 Two additional adult humpback whales were reported in the area for the following two days.1 Scientists characterize such observations as extremely rare.4 While these actions may reflect grief, researchers acknowledge the difficulty in directly measuring emotional states in whales.1 The finding addresses a gap in scientific understanding of how baleen whales respond to death, given that humpback pregnancies last nearly a year and mothers typically nurse calves with nutrient-rich milk for several months following birth.1
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