Mother and calf

Mother and calf

Orca calves mostly swim very close to an adult – usually their mother – although the pod often shares the responsibility of caring for young. When swimming together they also tend to surface for air together, as in this photograph. Calves are born after 17 months’ gestation, and are suckled for the first year. At birth, their dorsal fins and tail flukes are soft and floppy. The newborns are helped to the surface to take their first breath.