Scientists have documented a rare and remarkable event as a sperm whale gave birth with the assistance of other female whales, according to The Guardian. The footage was recorded by a team from Project Ceti, an international initiative focused on whale communication, off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean on 8 July 2023. The event was captured over nearly five and a half hours using drones, underwater microphones, and observation from a boat.

Rare Observation of Birth Assistance

The footage. Published in the journals Scientific Reports and Science, marks the first time scientists have observed non-related whales assisting in a birth. The mother. A 19-year-old female named Rounder. Was surrounded by her family and other unrelated females as she gave birth to her second calf. The researchers noted that only nine of the 93 known cetacean species have ever been observed giving birth in the wild, making this event even more rare.

Shane Gero, a member of the Project Ceti team, said the observation was significant. “This is the first evidence of birth assistance in non-primates. It is fascinating to see the intergenerational support from the grandmother to her labouring daughter, and the support from the other, unrelated females,” he told the New Scientist.

The birth lasted 34 minutes. From the tail emerging from the water to the calf being born — During this time, other adult females dived under Rounder’s dorsal fin, often on their backs with the heads facing her genital slit. After the birth. The pod’s behavior changed rapidly; all the adults “squeezed the newborn’s body between theirs, touching it with their heads,” the researchers wrote in their study.

Evolutionary Insights and Social Behavior

The behavior observed by the scientists is believed to be a remnant of the evolutionary history of cetaceans. These mammals, which are the only ones to return to the ocean after their ancestors adapted to life on land, developed unique traits to prevent newborns from drowning. For example, whale calves are born tail-first, rather than head-first like other mammals — However, even with this adaptation, newborn sperm whales still sink after birth.

To prevent this, other whales must lift the calf up “to prevent the newborn from sinking while also facilitating its first breaths,” the researchers suggested. This behavior is similar to that observed in primates, including humans, which are the only other mammals known to assist each other during birth.

The scientists also recorded the whales making a variety of sounds, with significant changes in “vocal style” during key events, including when a group of pilot whales approached the pod after the birth. The changes in vocalisation suggested that the group was coordinating to support the birth or protect the newborn, according to the study.

Social Structure and Survival

Sperm whales have one of the longest pregnancies in the animal kingdom, with a gestation period that lasts up to 16 months. When calves are born, they are already 4 metres (13 feet) long and will rely on their mother’s milk for at least two years. As they grow, the young become the center of their pod’s social unit, with others helping out with babysitting while the mother searches for food.

After the birth was filmed in 2023, the pod was not spotted again for more than a year. Then, the newborn was spotted with Accra and Aurora—other young members of the pod—on 25 July last year. Surviving its first year was a good sign that the sperm whale would reach adulthood, the Project Ceti team said.

The study highlights the complex social structures and cooperative behaviors among whales, offering new insights into their evolutionary adaptations and communication methods. The footage of the birth and the assistance provided by the pod of whales is a rare and valuable addition to the understanding of cetacean behavior.

Scientists film whale giving birth, a rare event that has never been documented in such detail before. The footage not only provides a glimpse into the lives of these marine mammals but also exposes the importance of continued research into their social and reproductive behaviors.