Wildlife photographer Alexander Forrest captures first-ever drone footage of a humpback whale birth.
Wildlife photographer Alexander Forrest recorded a rare marine mammal event off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, where he captured the first-ever drone footage of a humpback whale birth. While monitoring a northbound migration, Alexander Forrest noticed a female whale traveling at an unusually slow speed. The whale suddenly rose to the surface, and a plume of blood appeared as the newborn calf emerged to take its first breath. This footage is believed to be only the fourth complete humpback whale birth ever recorded on film globally. The Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) noted that while humpback whales give birth annually, the full process is rarely witnessed. The drone team, including Tanya Snowden and Dominic Cotter-Dephoff, monitored the mother and calf for several hours to collect behavioral data. Researchers plan to use these observations to expand scientific understanding of humpback whale reproduction and maternal behavior. ORRCA is withholding the exact location of the encounter to protect the mother and calf.