AssetID: 55584242
Headline: Scientists record rare sperm whale birth - with group acting as midwives
Caption: BY MARK WORGAN Scientists have captured rare footage of a sperm whale giving birth. The videos, shared in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, show members of the mother’s family group lifting the newborn calf towards the surface to help it breathe. The mother, known to researchers as Rounder, was filmed off the coast of Dominica as her calf emerged tail-first before being hoisted upwards by other whales in the group. As Rounder went into labour, several adult females repeatedly dived beneath her, turning belly-up and positioning themselves close to her body. While scientists have previously observed whales supporting newborn calves, such coordinated lifting by an entire social group has rarely been documented in such detail. Describing the behaviour, the authors of the paper, led by David F. Gruber of Project CETI, New York, wrote: “The newborn’s unit members including the younger juvenile animals became highly active, with all adults squeezing the newborn’s body between theirs, touching it with their heads, and all animals directing their noses towards the newborn; often pushing it around, under the water, and onto and across their bodies above the surface.” Newborn sperm whales are thought to be negatively buoyant, meaning they would sink without support, and are initially poor swimmers. The lifting behaviour may therefore be vital in preventing the calf from drowning. Footage shows blood from birth still visible as the baby whale emerged. Adult sperm whales are among the largest animals on Earth. Females can reach around 11m (36ft) in length, while males can grow to 16m and weigh as much as 45 tonnes. A newborn calf is far smaller, measuring 4m in length - roughly the same size as a Mini.
Keywords: feature,photo,project ceti,whales,nature,natural world
PersonInImage: Newborn sperm whale taking its first breath of air while swimming to mother’s head taken at 11:47 [00:01:15]. Note blood from birth still visible at in the video.