A female bottlenose dolphin named Fraggle carried her dead calf for six days [1, 2] in the Leschenault Estuary near Bunbury, Western Australia.
The footage provides a rare look at the emotional complexity of marine mammals and their capacity for grief. This behavior highlights the strong maternal bonds in dolphins and the biological drive to protect offspring even after death.
Fraggle was recorded by drone footage as she supported the deceased calf near the surface of the water. Researchers said that dolphins can carry deceased calves for days as part of a mourning ritual [3, 4]. This process continues until the mother must resume feeding to survive.
According to reports, this was not the first time Fraggle experienced such a loss. She has previously lost four calves [5]. The footage captures the duration of the mourning period before the mother eventually fired the calf.
The Leschenault Estuary serves as a critical habitat for these dolphins. By monitoring these interactions, scientists can better understand the social structures and psychological needs of the species—insights that are often difficult to gather in the open ocean.
Researchers said the act of carrying the calf is a recognized behavior among some cetaceans. While the physical toll of carrying a calf for nearly a week is significant, the ritual is viewed as a manifestation of the animal's social and emotional intelligence.
“Dolphins can carry deceased calves for days as part of a mourning ritual.”
This incident underscores the cognitive depth of cetaceans, suggesting that grief is not an exclusively human experience. The observation of a specific individual, Fraggle, who has lost multiple offspring, allows researchers to study how repeated trauma and mourning rituals affect the survival and behavior of dolphins in the wild.
