Video of Sperm Whale Birth

[milestogo]

Last edited Sun Mar 29, 2026, 10:44 AM - Edit history (1)

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.

The event, analyzed in two studies published on Thursday in the journals Science and Scientific Reports, provides the latest evidence in a growing body of research indicating that humans are not the only species in which mothers receive some form of help during and after birth.

“I don’t think it’s midwives or doulas in our human perspective, but there was definitely assistance and support for both the mother and the calf,” said Alaa Maalouf, one of the authors and a specialist in machine learning and robotics with Project CETI, the nonprofit whale research group that happened upon, documented and analyzed the birth.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/climate/sperm-whale-birth-assistance.html?unlocked_article_code=1.W1A.iXe_.8eog8qrhop0W&smid=url-share

Video and pictures at link.

[Leghorn21]

1. WOW

Marvelous story, MARVELOUS

Thanks for posting, milestogo!!