This was the moment a mother humpback whale lifted up her calf to take its first breath. Captured on camera in Australia, the footage is also thought to be the first time a humpback whale has been filmed giving birth in the wild.

Researchers were surveying humpback whales off Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia when they noticed blood around a female. On closer inspection, they noticed a calf struggling to breath before the mother dived beneath the surface to lift up her new born and allow it to take its first breath. After taking its first breath the calf was able to swim in the water beside its mother. Micheline Jenner, one of the researchers said it was an extraordinary moment.

The newborn, named Tantabiddi after the entrance to the reef where it was born, measured approx five metres long and weighed up to 1.5 tonnes. The research team did not expect to see a birth as the normal calving grounds are usually 600 miles north and suspect it could have been a premature birth.

image (c) M Jenner/Centre Whale Research