[id: “At first, the researchers on the boats didn’t understand what they were witnessing in the waves below. A group of 11 sperm whales huddled together at the surface, strangely still and taking occasional shallow dives.
After about an hour, the animals seemed to start thrashing, and a plume of blood reddened the water. The researchers feared trouble, maybe a shark attack. But it was something else.
Suddenly, a much smaller, 12th whale appeared, lifted to the surface by the others so it could breathe.”
(second image): “The first ever footage of a sperm whale birth - and it's magical. Thanks to drone technology, scientists were able to film and analyse a remarkably social sperm whale birth, in which a calf delivered by a whale named Rounder was immediately lifted to the surface by a coordinated group that included her mother Lady Oracle, her sister Aurora, an unrelated young female Ariel, and even an adolescent male, Allan. During the 34-minute labour off Dominica in July 2023, 11 whales surrounded Rounder, oriented themselves towards her during delivery and then towards the newborn, which was rarely left untouched and was usually in contact with at least 2 whales at once. Half the attending whales were not related to the mother, making the event especially striking as evidence that birth assistance in sperm whales may rely not just on kinship but on broader social reciprocity. The New York Times 🎁”
Three sperm whales swimming just below the surface, one of which has their mouth open, which is much paler than the rest of their body. Captioned “Top: researchers filmed a sperm whale giving birth in the wild. Bottom: From left, Lady Oracle, Accra, and Aurora, all present at the birth. Photo: Brian J Skerry/National Geographic.”]/end id.
