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Super Rare Humpback Whale Birth Filmed by Drone For The First Time Off The Coast of Australia
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A rare humpback whale birth has been captured by drone for the first time off the coast of Australia. Drone pilot and exhibition filmmaker Alexander Forrest filmed the event in late July while tracking a group of migrating humpbacks near the north coast of New South Wales. The footage shows a newborn calf emerging from a red plume of blood and surfacing for its first breath. It is a breakthrough in marine biology, as only three other humpback whale births have ever been documented in scientific records, and none with aerial drone photography.
Forrest initially noticed an adult female swimming unusually slowly, almost drifting toward shore. He told ScienceAlert that her behavior was 'super slow, consistent, almost labored,' unlike the other whales migrating north or south. When a red plume erupted in the water around her, he first suspected a predator attack. Instead, a tiny white calf shot to the surface, revealing a remarkable birth.
The birth occurred during peak whale-watching season on Australia's east coast, where roughly 50,000 humpback whales migrate annually from Antarctic feeding grounds to tropical breeding waters. While most calves are born closer to the equator, this mother and her newborn did not travel that far. The calf will now swim alongside its mother for the remainder of the journey.
Forrest called on fellow drone operator Tanya Snowden, a member of the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, and friend Dominic Cotter-Dephoff to help document the calf's first day. The team tracked the pair for several hours, gathering detailed visual and behavioral notes before sunset. These observations capture crucial early maternal behavior, including the mother's instinctive vigilance and the calf's unsteady swimming, sometimes straying up to three meters away.
The footage offers new insight into the challenges of a whale's first moments. As Forrest noted, whales must consciously focus on breathing, unlike humans. The calf was intensely focused on clearing its lungs and staying afloat, reaching the surface almost immediately after leaving the birth canal.
Forrest is now working with ORCCA to prepare the gigabytes of footage and observations for peer review and publication in a scientific journal. The study promises to reveal new details about whale birth, maternal care, and the critical first moments of a mammal born underwater. This unprecedented drone footage marks a significant step forward in understanding humpback reproduction and conservation.
