Young humpback whale calf found in Maine river was severely emaciated

WMTW-TV8 • August 25, 2026

The Marine Mammals of Maine stranding hotline received a report of a deceased humpback whale in the New Meadows River in Phippsburg on Friday afternoon. MMoME performed a full internal and external evaluation that found the 20-foot female calf was emaciated and had very little muscle or fat and few stomach contents. The findings showed that the whale was between 6 and 9 months old and still maternally dependent. MMoME said that samples they collected will be sent for histopathology and that there were no other gross necropsy findings. "This was an incredibly sad case, but we are grateful for the opportunity to document her life and passing," said MMoME in a social media post.