Teamwork: Fascinating Images Reveal the Secrets of Sperm Whale Calving

For the first time, scientists filmed the birth of a sperm whale, with notable help from ten other females who formed a protective circle around the birthing mother.

An Unexpected Level of Assistance

Drones captured this captivating scene in Caribbean waters in July 2023. Tracking a group of sperm whales for nearly two decades, the researchers observed that 11 females had gathered near the surface. A few minutes later, the tail fluke of a calf broke the surface of the mother’s body. In the following half hour, the so‑called “midwives” synchronized their movements to shield the mother and her newborn, keeping the calf at the surface to prevent it from drowning.

“These are the first evidences of such a degree of assistance during birth among non-primates,” notes Shane Gero, co‑author of the new studies published in the journals Science and Scientific Reports. “For a long time, people believed this kind of complex behavior was exclusive to humans.”

As the researcher explains, among these cetaceans, social hierarchy is characterized by a pronounced female leadership, with knowledge transmitted from generation to generation by the females. In the case just described, the mother was assisted by both her own grandmother and individuals not closely related to her.

When short‑finned pilot whales arrived in the area about twenty minutes after the birth, the team observed clear defensive reactions from the group of sperm whales. “There was at all times at least one adult female between the newborn and the pilot whales, even underwater,” the researchers write. “On multiple occasions, the adult females displayed their teeth and drove their heads toward the approaching pilot whales.”

Unprecedented Changes in the Group’s Global Vocal Style

The analysis of acoustic recordings, captured with underwater microphones, also yielded surprises for researchers.

“We identified novel changes in the group’s overall vocal style at key moments: the onset of birth and the first interactions with the pilot whales,” explains Giovanni Petri, from Northeastern University London. “The combination of acoustic data and direct observations allowed us to link the animals’ communication to their actions.”

At present, the sex of the calf remains unknown. Yet forthcoming observations should enable researchers to determine it. “We will name it then,” says Gero. “It is already heartening to see that it has survived its early years of life, a period associated with notably high mortality rates among sperm whales.”

At the end of 2025, researchers had documented the first birth of a wild orca off the coast of Norway.