Debbie Andrews, age 10, of Eugene, Ore., for her question:
HOW IS A BABY WHALE BORN?
The magnificent whales are warmblooded, air¬breathing mammal animals who feed their babies on mother's milk. Yet they live their whole lives in the sea. Some can plunge below for 30 minutes or more, but sooner or later all whales must surface to breathe. This is a great problem for a baby whale, who is born in the sea and must take his first breath within a moment or so.
The playful porpoises and the clever dolphins are small cousins of the giant whales. All of them are classed in the animal order Cetacea; and among animals of the same group, basic matters such as childbirth usually are much alike.
The giant blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived upon the planet earth. He may be 100 feet long and weigh around 120 tons. We know that the female blue whale gives birth to one calf ¬ a whopping baby measuring 24 feet and weighing about four tons. However, these and other great whales are monsters of the deep ocean. Observing the details of their mysterious private lives is almost impossible.
We know a lot more about the smaller cetaceans because the dolphins and porpoises can be kept in aquariums. There they become very friendly and seem happy to share their secrets. For example, the birth of a baby dolphin has been observed in detail. No doubt we can assume that the giant whales give birth in much the same way.
The charming bottlenose dolphin is about 12 feet long. The female carries the developing baby in her body for 11 to 12 months, and the calf is born in the spring. As the hour of birth approaches, the mother slows down and stays near the surface. Two dolphins from the friendly herd swim on either side of her, possibly to protect the mother and infant from bloodthirsty sharks.
The babe emerges tail first below the water and desperately in need of his first breath of air. He struggles to rise, and right then the loving mother uses her big nose to nudge him tenderly to the surface. In a matter of moments, the newborn member of the whale family gasps his first breath of air.
Mother and baby stay near the surface while he enjoys his first meal. The happy infant is more than three feet long and able to swim and surface for himself. He soon begins chasing the fishes, though for six months to a year or so his main diet is his mother's milk.