These sperm whales join forces to help a newborn calf

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]This is a newborn sperm whale taking its first breath off the coast of Dominica in the Caribbean. Researchers captured unprecedented footage of a sperm whale mother and 10 other whales helping a newborn reach the surface so it can breathe. They acted as a team to bring this new calf into the world. And amazingly, many of the whales weren't even related to the mother or baby. The whales huddled together to push the calf up to the surface to ensure it could breathe, which it would have trouble doing on its own. Scientists have long believed that sperm whales are social creatures, and this footage provides the first quantifiable evidence that birth is a communal event for them. But don't just watch the whales cooperation.

[00:00:35]Listen to it. Those intense rapid fire clicks are how the whales communicate, likely helping coordinate their movements during this high stakes event.

[00:00:43]It's the first time we've seen such clear evidence of sperm whales supporting the birth of an unrelated calf, suggesting that for them, survival is a collective effort that transcends family ties.