It is seldom observed the delivery of a dolphin in the wild. Recently, Blue Defenders team members were at the right place and time to witness the partial birth of a bottlenose dolphin.
Unlike most mammals, the tail comes first in dolphins and cetaceans. The mother dolphin squeezes her little one out in several contractions. Labor can last from half an hour to several hours. Once the little one is born – with the head last – the mother will immediately guide it to the surface so the little one can breathe. Giving birth to a dolphin is also a painful process. The press marks can be seen as dark rings on the dolphin’s body for several days.
Pregnancy lasts 12 months and in principle a dolphin can have a baby every year, although this depends on many factors, such as whether the dolphins move between warm and colder water. Because dolphins also look for a comfortable place to have their little ones. Nice warm shallow water, few predators and not too many crowds.
Seeing and recording this birth is evidence that dolphins use the waters around Bonaire as a nursery. It also shows the need for collecting accurate data. Numbers, presence, possible hotspots, are there possible patterns to be discovered? Are there places around Bonaire that the dolphins choose to give birth and are there then sufficient measures taken to protect the dolphins so they can have their little ones undisturbed? Important to examine this with data collection.
Citizen science can certainly help with that. If you see dolphins, please let us know and contribute to data collection at: https://www.bluedefenders.org/megafauna-sightings/
