Drone Captures Rare Humpback Whale Birth Off Australia’s Coast

A camera drone has captured the birth of a humpback whale off the north coast of New South Wales, Australia, in what researchers believe may be the first known video of a complete humpback whale birth in the wild.

Alexander Forrest, a commercial drone pilot with the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), was conducting aerial observations of migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on July 28 when he noticed one whale swimming slowly behind the rest of her pod. ORRCA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to marine mammal rescue, conservation and welfare.

During the survey, Forrest realized the whale was behaving unusually. She was traveling behind her pod at a slower pace, and moments later, he witnessed her give birth to a calf.

“It’s incredibly rare to see a moment like this in the ocean. It’s a very rarely documented encounter,” Forrest told Live Science. “It’s the first drone video, as far as we know, of a full humpback whale live birth. It captures critical moments in the calf’s life and provides insight into the behavior of a new humpback whale mother and her newborn.”

An ORRCA spokesperson said the footage represents only the fourth known instance of a humpback whale birth being filmed. Scientists have recorded other whale births, including a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) birth filmed off California and a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) giving birth in the Caribbean.

The drone footage shows the newborn humpback whale calf surfacing through blood-reddened water to take its first breath. The mother then turns around and reunites with her calf. The remarkable birth was filmed approximately 700 meters, or 0.4 miles, from the shore at Kingscliff in northeastern New South Wales.

Forrest described the birth as a powerful symbol of one of the most successful marine conservation efforts in history. Humpback whale numbers along the New South Wales coast have recovered from near extinction to almost 50,000 animals.

“Gathering data on this humpback whale population is critical to discovering more about where whales give birth, what happens during the process and what those first moments of a calf’s life look like,” Forrest said.

Scientists will study the rare whale birth footage

The footage will be analyzed before a report is submitted for peer review and publication in a scientific journal. Researchers are particularly interested in the whale’s behavior because she was alone and trailing behind her pod during the birth.

Scientists will compare the observation with footage of other whale births in which the mother was surrounded by members of her group. For example, drone footage of a sperm whale giving birth in 2023 showed 10 adult females forming a protective circle around the mother. The whales took turns lifting the newborn calf toward the surface so it could breathe.

During their first weeks of life, humpback whale calves remain close to their mothers and learn essential behaviors, including how to surface and breathe efficiently.

“Humpback whales seem to have an incredible maternal bond with their offspring,” Forrest said. “There is an 11-month period in which the calf is raised and fed highly nutritious milk until it becomes a yearling and can fend for itself.”

How big is a newborn humpback whale calf?

A newborn humpback whale calf typically weighs between 1 and 1.5 tons, or approximately 900 to 1,360 kilograms, and measures about 3 to 5 meters, or 10 to 16 feet, in length.

While nursing, a humpback whale calf can gain as much as 45 kilograms, or 100 pounds, per day. This rapid growth helps the calf build the strength and energy reserves needed for its first migration.

Humpback whales complete one of the longest migrations of any mammal. They travel up to 8,000 kilometers, or 5,000 miles, each way between cold polar feeding grounds and warm tropical breeding areas.