Viral video shows dolphin carrying dead newborn in apparent mourning

In a video going viral on the internet and capturing hearts online, a grieving mother dolphin named Fraggle carried her dead calf through the Indian Ocean for six days. Drone footage captured by Geographe Marine Research, an Australian conservation organisation, showed the mother dolphin with her newborn, which was only two weeks old.What had viewers grieving and emotional was the revelation that Fraggle had previously experienced the loss of four other calves. Other dolphins were observed joining the mother during her period of mourning. Her entire pod of 14 dolphins came to support Fraggle, named after the muppet in Fraggle Rock, riding by her side to support her through her heartbreak.Researchers noted the calf showed a high breathing rate before dying and winter births in the region are known to pose major survival hurdles, often linked to respiratory complications from cold air. Researchers have documented similar grief-like behaviour in dolphins and whales, where they carry their deceased offspring.How do dolphins mourn?As an inevitable part of nature, death happens to all beings. Despite the certainty of it, coping with death is never easy and different for everyone. Animals including elephants, apes, and cetaceans all react differently when they lose a group member or a family member.Several species of cetaceans have been observed behaving in ways that suggest they mourn their dead group members. Some dolphin mothers carry around their calves on their backs for hours or even days. The most heartbreaking tale is that of Tahlequah, an orca mother who carried her dead newborn around for an astonishing seventeen days, travelling up to 1,000 miles, until she finally let it go six feet under. In a 2018 study published in Zoology, scientists found that at least 20 species of cetaceans display some form of “post-mortem attentive behaviour” (in human societies, we might interpret these as grief). Of the 20 species, most were dolphins rather than whales. Following the “social brain hypothesis,” animals with complex social structures, i.e., dolphins, generally have relatively bigger brains. A big brain relates to more complex feelings and perhaps an understanding of the concept of death, to some extent.Carrying a dead body around for a prolonged time is energetically costly, it breaks streamlined body shape, stops the hunt for prey and is generally taxing. Then why do dolphin mothers keep carrying around and pushing their loved ones? Could they think the calf is simply unconscious, and it still has a chance if they help it breathe at the surface? Altruistic acts like these aren’t uncommon in social species. Post-mortem attentive behaviour could be beyond evolutionary explanation and simply be a reflection of the strong bond between a mother and her calf.There are many similarities in how some cetaceans react to dead conspecifics and how humans deal with the passing away of a loved one. On the other hand, “grieving” is not a ubiquitous event in cetacean societies: many times, when an individual dies, the rest of the pod leaves the body behind and moves on with their lives. So, cetaceans don't behave exactly like grieving humans but may have similar inspirations upon such events.Social media reactionsAs the video gained traction online, numerous viewers shared emotional comments over the visual."Grief is the price we pay for loving deeply" wrote a user on Reddit."That was the whole family grieving with her" added another."Dolphins and orcas' emotional centre of the brain is a larger percentage of the brain than they are in humans. Possibly implying we literally can't fathom the depths of their sadness when losing a child. That's already the worst pain imaginable for a parent, but still might not compare to what they're feeling," shared a user."There’s no greater pain than a mother mourning their child. I would never wish it on my worst enemy" another wrote.