It’s an amazing fact that besides the technological advancements humans have not yet been able to observe the birth of the dolphins in the wild. For now whatever information has been gained is based on the dolphins in captivity.

The mating season begins in summers in warmer months. During courtship the dolphins give various responses to each other such as raking and head-butting. The female offers her ventral side to the male and the mating process takes place while swimming. The sperms take only 10 seconds to release and do not require much stimulation to get released. After successful fertilization it will take 12 months for the fetus to develop into a fully grown baby dolphin.

There are numerous signs of impending birth observed in female dolphins such as irregular breathing, crunching or flexing up of the body, irritability, breaching, swimming rapidly upside down, decreased appetite and body temperature, vaginal discharge, contractions and lactation.

During the gestation period the fetus’s tail flukes and its dorsal fin remains folded inside the uterus of her mother, and remain soft till the time of birth. This allows the calf to come out quickly from its mother’s body at the time of birthing. The tail and dorsal fin stiffen within 2 weeks after birth.

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