Scientists have captured rare footage of a sperm whale giving birth, with other females in the pod working together to support the mother and newborn. The event, observed off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean on 8 July 2023, marks the first documented evidence of birth assistance in non-primates.
The 19-year-old female, named Rounder, was surrounded by family members and other whales as she gave birth to her second calf. Over nearly five and a half hours, researchers from Project Ceti documented the group's behaviour using boats, drones, and underwater recordings. The findings were published on Thursday in the journals Scientific Reports and Science.
The birth lasted 34 minutes, with the calf emerging tail-first. During labour, adult females dived under Rounder's dorsal fin, often on their backs with heads facing her genital slit. Immediately after birth, the pod's behaviour changed rapidly, with adults squeezing the newborn between their bodies and pushing it to the surface to help it breathe.
Shane Gero, a Project Ceti team member, told New Scientist: '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.'
The researchers also recorded changes in vocalisation during significant events, suggesting the whales coordinated to support the birth or protect the newborn. Sperm whales have a gestation period of up to 16 months, and calves are born 4 metres long, relying on their mother's milk for at least two years.
The pod was not seen for over a year after the birth, but the newborn was spotted with other young members on 25 July 2024. Surviving its first year is a positive sign for reaching adulthood, the team said.
