September 16, 2008 Dolphin Birth
 

The birth of a bottle nose dolphin in captivity

http://cellar.org/2008/dolphin1.jpg

http://cellar.org/2008/dolphin2.jpg

Lets get this out of the way:


SHARK!


Okay, on with your lives.

I'm supposed to go "Beautiful, the miracle of life!" Instead I'm just like,"Ewww, why does the miracle have to look so gross?"

That looks like a breech birth to me, I'm no intelligent designer but I'd have the critter swim out nose first even if it does mean mom has to make a U turn.

While I'm at it I'd add something to the blood to make it smell like something that eats sharks whole.

Ewww... I'll never have sex with another Dolphin. :headshake

I was thinking the same thing, foot. Every animal I've ever seen is supposed to give birth head-first.

Oh a Little one !!
All young and tender Good for roasting !!

Tail first ensures that the calf's propulsion is ready to get the nose to the surface. Mom dolphins help, but the young have to swim or, you know, sink... although they'll eventually float. Just be belly up.

These two presented shots are a misrepresentation.

The first shot is really this occurring..



































:headshake :thepain: :eek:

In that case, I wonder why she wouldn't stay closer to the surface? :confused:

I guess in the ocean, the depth of that pool is close to the surface.

For some reason I thought the baby dolphin would be smaller. But at that size it would be the perfect dinner for two.

Dolphins breath air. The baby would drown if it birthed head first. Ain't nature clever?

Sarasvati is on the bull's eye. Dolphins must breech birth otherwise the little one's blow-hole (Sheldon, stop thinking that) would be under water for too long and it would drown.

Mind you, I am sooooo glad I am not a female dolphin. Hell, human childbirth looks bad enough, but having one WITH FINS the come out BACKWARDS.... Ououououch that's gotta smart.

I'm also worried about all that blood in the water. Hey, sharks, over here - good eatins!

The Mythbusters did an episode where they tested the myth that sharks are afraid of/and/or do not like dolphins. They tested great whites off the coast of Africa with a fake seal (great white's fav food, I guess). The sharks attacked the fake seal every time, until they put a fake dolphin in the water near the fake seal. The sharks would swim near, catch sight of the 'dolphin', and make a hasty retreat.:)

That same myth has been disproven in many real life instances where sharks have attacked people swimming with dolphins.

A very recent case here in Australia comes to mind for me where a young woman was swimming with dolphins just offshore in the shallows reasonably close to a drop off when she was mauled by a number of bull sharks. They ripped off both her arms and part of a leg.

The dolphins swam off. Didn't even bring her into shore.

eta: she died.