A mother dolphin carried her dead calf for several days, and the video moved the world

A female dolphin named Fraggle was filmed while carrying her dead calf for several days in the waters of the Indian Ocean.

The images were recorded by the Australian organization Geographe Marine Research, which studies and conserves marine life, showing the mother staying close to the body while other dolphins accompanied her.

According to the researchers, the calf was only two weeks old and exhibited a high respiratory rate, indicating that it was unlikely to survive.

The case has once again put the behavior of these animals in the face of death under analysis, and scientists are studying whether they can go through processes similar to grief.

Dolphins are social animals that live in groups and develop lasting bonds among their members, especially between mothers and calves. For this reason, scientists have been studying for decades how they react to the death of their companions.

In the case of Fraggle, recorded by Geographe Marine Research, specialists observed that she carried the body on her back for approximately six days. The organization explained that mother dolphins can carry them for extended periods, although they ultimately must abandon them to continue essential activities such as feeding.

Specialists detailed that this behavior has already been observed in other species of cetaceans. Although they still cannot determine exactly what emotions they experience, staying close to a dead specimen and the difficulty in separating from the body are behaviors that many specialists relate to a grief response.

However, one of the main challenges is to differentiate an emotional reaction from other natural behaviors, such as the protective instinct or recognizing that another animal has died.

Researcher Joan Gonzalvo from the Tethys Research Institute in Italy documented a bottlenose mother dolphin in the Gulf of Ambracia, Greece. He described that the female stayed with her deceased calf for two days and tried to keep it on the water's surface.

"The mother never separated from the calf and gently touched it with her snout and pectoral fins," Gonzalvo recounted, adding: "She seemed unable to accept the death".

There are also similar records in orcas, which are part of the dolphin family and are considered one of the species with the highest cognitive capacity.

One of the most well-known cases occurred off the coast of Washington State in the United States, where a mother was observed pushing and holding her dead calf for hours.

According to professionals from the Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the female retrieved the body every time it drifted away from her.

Wildlife biologist Brad Hanson, a member of that entity, highlighted: "It is incredibly sad. It reflects the strong bonds that unite these animals, and as a parent, one can only imagine the emotional stress they must suffer witnessing these events".

Additionally, some studies have analyzed the characteristics of the brains of cetaceans to understand their emotional capacity. Research on dolphins, orcas, and whales identified von Economo neurons, known as spindle neurons.

These structures are related in humans to processes such as empathy, the perception of emotions, and social interaction. They have also been found in great apes and elephants.

Experts believe that their presence, along with the ability to form organized groups and maintain family bonds, may help explain why they exhibit behaviors associated with loss.

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