Ocean explorers recently stumbled upon an amazing pair, a pilot whale and a young female dolphin, surfing the waters of the Bay of Islands. It may seem like a coincidence to you, but after a month they were already noticed together.
No doubt about it: the second-place mother adopted a small newborn whale. Of course, it will not always be small when they mature, being up to 6 meters long and weighing almost 300 tons.
The very fact that she adopted a foreign cub of a different species is not surprising. They are very intelligent, on the same level as bonobos, they understand words and body language, are able to copy human behavior and also recognize themselves in the mirror.
Perhaps, with such a spirit, they also have empathy. Sometimes scientists notice that dolphins adopt the babies of other dolphins, but he never adopted such a giant.
Maybe it’s the overwhelming maternal instinct, or maybe the dolphin’s conscious behavior, scientists don’t know for sure yet.
So far, the main explanation for why this strange story has become possible is precisely the maternal instinct. If a dolphin lost a calf and a whale lost its mother, they were irresistibly drawn to each other to fill the void in their hearts left by the loss.
But scientists speculate that such attractiveness may be part of the mother dolphin’s personality. Perhaps they are capable of selfless kindness, not driven by instinct. It is very touching: a mother-in-law taking care of her small stature, a dolphin taking care of a whale.
Dolphins have a very strong bond between parents and cubs, especially if they are of the same sex. They live in generations of families: mothers, grandmothers and daughters.
But, unfortunately, the whale will not be able to fit into the dolphin family. When the baby grows up, the mother lets him live on his own. The fact is that the technique of hunting whales and dolphins is very different, and they will have to be fed separately.
Dolphins often hunt in shallow, muddy schools, creating “mud traps” for schools of fish. Pilots prefer open water and depth, diving 60 meters and being underwater for 10 minutes is not a problem for them at all.
Usually they hunt in packs, so it is hoped that relatives will accept a small whale raised by a mother dolphin and allow him to participate in the hunt for food. If it was interesting, please share it with your friends and family !
