Watch First-Ever Video Footage Of A Humpback Whale Calf Nursing Underwater

For the first time ever, scientists have captured underwater footage of humpback whale calves nursing from their moms. Recorded in Quandamooka Sea Country, Australia, the footage highlights just how important the area is as a nursing and resting site to the humpbacks.

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The team was investigating the impact of shipping lanes on humpback whales in the Quandamooka Sea Country (Moreton Bay) area. This area is known as an important resting site for the whales and a key nursery. The field work shows that there are consistently high numbers of mothers with calves, along with lone whales and even mother-calf pairs that socialize together, recorded in Moreton Bay. 

To take a closer look at what was happening, the team managed to deploy suction cameras onto the humpbacks' backs to record their behavior, and caught something incredible. 

“To our knowledge, this is the first documented use of camera-equipped suction-cup tags on humpback whale calves in Australia, and one of few datasets globally that combines video, fine-scale movement, and acoustic data for humpback whale calves,” Griffith University researcher and PhD Candidate Stephanie Stack said in a statement.

“Across both seasons, we achieved 13 successful CATS camera tag deployments, with approximately half of these capturing nursing behaviour between mothers and calves,” Stack said. “In total, we now have 35 hours and 37 minutes of fine-scale movement, acoustic, and video data focusing on humpback whale calves.”

The findings were in direct relation to a potential State Government plan to re-zone Moreton Bay, which could affect the whales' nursing and resting places.

“Our growing understanding of the critical role that the bay plays in the life-history of the whales warrants a holistic assessment of the true ecological, social, and cultural value of the bay so that these values are not degraded or lost in favour of short-term financial gain,” said Professor Susan Bengtson Nash, also of Griffith University. 

“Both years, we observed high levels of recreational vessel traffic throughout the Bay, including in areas where whales were resting at the surface or in shallow waters, and often in direct transit zones for boats. We also documented multiple whales with propeller mark scars, underscoring the need for increased awareness and caution from boaters during the migration season.”