It's a boy! But still no name for dolphin calf at Shedd
It's a boy!
The Shedd Aquarium announced on Thursday that its Pacific white-sided dolphin born on April 18 is male. The Shedd staff says the baby dolphin has passed several critical milestones, including bonding with his mother, nursing and learning to slipstream - swimming in his mother's wake to save energy.
This was the first pregnancy for the calf's 29-year-old mother, Katrl, who seems to be a natural, said Madelynn Hettiger, manager of marine mammals at the Shedd Aquarium.
"We definitely see this mother and calf bonding. Katrl is very spry, and she has that maternal instinct that kicked in. The calf is copying her behaviors and staying close to mom," Hettiger said.
The new calf is the seventh Pacific white-sided dolphin living at the Shedd Aquarium. Only 17 of the breed live in accredited facilities in North America.
Katrl and her calf will be monitored 24 hours a day by the animal care staff in the coming weeks and months, Hettiger said. The next big milestones in the calf's life include introducing him to new habitats and to some of the other dolphins at the Shedd, Hettiger said.
A name will be chosen in the near future, Hettiger said, hinting the public might be involved in the selection.
The mother and calf are being kept in the Secluded Bay habitat, which is closed to the public for now. But Shedd visitors still have access to most of the Abbot Oceanarium.
For information, visit sheddaquarium.org or follow Shedd updates on Facebook and Twitter.