Until recently, no one had ever been able to film a humpback whale birth in its entirety. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Up until relatively recently, researchers had never seen a humpback whale birth from start to finish. They’d witnessed the moments shortly after, but due to the fact that humpback whales live where we don’t, capturing a birth on camera had eluded them. But finally, divers with cameras were able to film the beautiful moment.
“In Maui, and worldwide, scientists have only recorded a handful of females with calf flukes protruding — a sign labor has begun — but not the entire birth itself,” National Geographic wrote. “That’s why the event was so meaningful — the first complete humpback whale birth caught on camera, start to finish.”
A few years ago, researchers from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa’s Marine Mammal Research Program came close to finally getting a full birth on camera. They were able to film the first few moments of a newborn calf’s life, but not the actual birth itself.
“I think everybody can appreciate these kinds of footages,” said Program Director Lars Bejder at the time. “It brings us closer to these animals and gives us a really majestic view of these creatures. I think it’s pretty spectacular.”
Now, though, we’re able to learn just a little bit more about these wonderfully elusive, enormous creatures that we share the Earth with.
