Bottlenose Dolphin - mother and newborn baby /
Bottlenose Dolphin - mother and newborn baby / calf - swimming together (Tursiops truncatus). Malta. The calf was born on July 20th 2010 at 15:30. At birth its weight was roughly 15 kg and 1m in length. The mother is Onda, a 14 year old female from Cuba but guest of the grand Mediterraneo Dolphinarium since 2003. The father is Lucas, a 12 year old also from Cuba. Gestation in this species of dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is approximately 12 months. Nursing can last up two years but already after 4 months-old the calf can start to feed himself setting in motion the weaning process. This forms part of a species propagation programme in a monitored environment that Marineland Ltd, the company that runs the Mediterraneo Marine Park, has planned in Malta for some time
