Fascinating footage explained in a new research study shows a group of sperm whales supporting a sperm-whale mother and her newborn calf during an hours-long birthing event. Besides the birth itself, which is extremely rare for humans to witness, it’s also incredible to watch multiple adult females take turns holding the newborn at the surface so it can breathe. Some of the whales involved were not related to the mother or her calf, but they still spent time and energy helping out.
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Project CETI shared two posts on Instagram about the research study, each including clips and photos from the birthing event. The caption reads: “Female sperm whales support one another during the birthing journey—behavior that was long considered unique to humans and a few primates.”
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In the newly published study, researchers describe how rare this footage is. “Direct quantitative observations of sperm whale births remain virtually absent, with only four sperm whale births . . . reported over the past 60 years, and all of them either anecdotal or whaling related,” the researchers wrote.Â
Watch a group of sperm whales support a mother and her newborn calf here:
See more images and video from the birth here:
Read the full research study.
Header stock image by Mike Korostelev/Getty Images
