Experienced whale birth up close - mom teaches offspring to swim

Created: 01/06/2023, 13:30

By: Sina Lück

On a safari, some tourists are in the right place at the right time.

A baby whale is born before her eyes.

Whales are undoubtedly stunning animals.

The largest species of marine mammal, the blue whale, reaches a gigantic body length of up to 33 meters.

In order to bring tourists closer to the underwater world, the organization Capt.

Dave's regular whale watching trips off the coast of California.

Near the popular bathing resort of Dana Point, she takes people out to sea to observe the sea creatures that live there, such as gray and blue whales, dolphins and sharks.

Anyone who takes part naturally hopes to get a glimpse of these very animals.

However, none of them would have dared to dream that some tourists would even be able to witness the birth of a gray whale up close.

Whale birth experienced up close - mom teaches offspring to swim

Tourists witnessed the birth of a gray whale live off the coast of California.

(Iconic image) © Francois Gohier/Imago

The crew of Capt.

Dave's is already at sea with the safari participants when she suddenly notices blood in the water.

"Not usually a good sign.

It often means something predatory," the organization writes on its Instagram page.

After all, there are many an “incredible” animal in the sea, such as carnivorous sponges.

But on closer inspection, the team gives the all-clear.

No sea predator, such as a shark, is responsible for the blood.

Instead, organizers and safari participants can hardly believe their eyes: in front of them, a mother gray whale is giving birth to her young.

The scenes of the rare natural spectacle, which they record with a drone, are shared by Capt.

Dave's then with her community on Instagram.

Tourists watch whale birth from boat - cub bonds with mother

The calf's first attempts at swimming are a bit awkward at first.

"The little one didn't yet master how to use its tail fin for propulsion," reports the team of the great experience.

But with mom's help, the baby whale learns quickly.

Finally he swims his first own circles.

The mother whale keeps an eye on her little one, dives under her offspring and repeatedly nudges them to the surface of the water.

"Upon emergence, the newborn calf began learning to swim and bonding with its mother."

A second moment of goosebumps follows for the whale watching crew.

The female brings her baby very close to the boat.

"As if it wanted to show off its offspring and say hello," enthused the organizers of the safari tours.

It was also an absolute stroke of luck for them to experience the whale birth live – for the first time in 25 years.

At Ocean Beach in Tasmania, however, animal rights activists are making a worrying discovery.

Hundreds of whales have washed ashore in Australia's Bight.

Red list: 10 animal species are threatened in Germany

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Heavy Birth – Whale offspring are born breech

Gray whales typically prefer to give birth in the warm and sheltered lagoons of Baja California, Mexico.

"The lagoons offer safety from predators such as orcas and warm water for calves that have not yet built up a thick layer of blubber," explain the whale experts.

In some cases, the young animals, which weigh around 1.5 tons, are already born during the journey - as in the current case.

A real "six in the lottery" for the whale watchers in California.

By the way: All whale babies are born tail first, in what is known as the breech position.

Thus, the vital connection with the umbilical cord is secured for as long as possible.