Young humpback whale photographed with southern right near EsperanceAn image of a young humpback with an adult southern right whale has stunned researchers and left them scrambling to find out if adoption between different species of the ocean giants has been documented.Key points:- The pair were photographed off Esperance's Eleven Mile Beach- Researchers will look for the adult southern right whale in a database- A researcher believes it is likely the southern right whale has adopted the young humpbackEsperance photographer Jess Wohling only realised the difference between the pair when she was going through footage taken at Eleven Mile Beach, to the east of town."So I Googled humpbacks and noticed the pectoral fins were quite long on the little calf.She planned to try to find the adult in a database of southern right whales, which could help answer some questions, such as whether it was definitely female and could be taking on a mothering role.She also hoped to find out whether it was possible for a humpback to feed from and be raised by a southern right whale."