Tales from the lagoon -Episode - Introducing a new baby dolphin
Tales from the Lagoon ~ Episode - Introducing Pax a New Baby!
Yesterday after sunrise, a maternity pod came into the lagoon with a new baby! The baby was dark in color with visible fetal bands (stripes). Fetal bands come from being scrunched up in the mother’s womb. Fetal bands and the dark color slough off after multiple weeks.
A baby dolphin swims in a position next to its mother called the echelon position. The baby swims in this position to catch mom’s slipstream, allowing the calf to work less hard in order to keep up with its mother.
Babies learn to echolocate over time. This is why they are accompanied by a pod of dolphins. It’s similar to chasing after a toddler who wants to touch everything, the adults keep the baby from getting into trouble as they learn.
This baby is super sweet and calm so I’ve named this baby Pax, which mean peace. The momma is Dailia meaning destiny or a strong branch.
The amazing group of ladies at Hubbs Seaward who monitor all the dolphin in the lagoon said this is the 5th baby for this momma, so I thought she literally is a strong branch in the dolphin community.
Please check out HUBBS on social media or at the website. They work tirelessly to rescue injured dolphins and monitor the health of 1100 dolphin in the Indian River Lagoon. https://hswri.org
Stay tuned for more tales!
You can see the fetal bands on the baby in this photo.
Pop goes the baby
Love
Baby fluke (tail)
I’m coming momma