This year for Mother’s Day, SeaWorld San Diego guests can watch several of our animal moms caring for their young here at the park. One animal in particular is Cascade, a bottlenose dolphin, who is currently caring for her sixth calf that was born in early November.
Worldwide, bottlenose dolphin calves are born throughout the year. Their average gestation period is around 12 months. For this birth, Cascade experienced her usual 13-month gestation. She went into labor in the early morning hours while a team of animal care specialists and veterinarians witnessed the calf’s tail flukes emerging from her. All calves are born in the water, usually tail-first, but head-first deliveries are also seen.
Once the calf was born, Cascade quickly assisted it to the surface for its first breath of air.
Weighing approximately 35 lbs and about 40 to 50 inches long, this calf relied on its mother to help it swim and navigate its new surroundings. In the first few days after its birth, the calf’s dorsal fin and tail flukes were pliable and lacked firmness (which aided its exit down the birth canal), but they gradually stiffened as it swam with its mother. In addition, this calf displayed the typical vertical, light lines on its side, a result of fetal folding inside the womb.
After the calf’s birth, Cascade passed the placenta a couple of hours later and began nursing her little one. The placenta was retrieved and sent for examination in which the paternity and sex of the calf can be determined. It was confirmed days later that Cascade’s calf was a healthy male. SeaWorld San Diego’s Facebook fans had the opportunity to name the baby dolphin. Today, Rain is six months old and thriving in SeaWorld San Diego’s animal care facility with his mother and several other bottlenose dolphins. In the future, Rain will meet more dolphins and guests at SeaWorld. But until then, you can visit him on a behind-the-scenes tour or follow his and several of our animal stories on www.insideseaworld.com.
From all of us here at SeaWorld San Diego, we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!