Scientists are offering everyone the opportunity to witness a breathtaking spectacle that until recently had never been seen by human eyes: a humpback whale giving birth.
The extremely rare images were captured shortly after sunset on March 5, 2021, far from the island of Lahaina, at a popular calving safe haven.
On Friday, National Geographic previewed the stunning video, which will be released, start to finish, as part of the network’s new series, “Incredible Animal Journeys,” airing Nov. 19.
“We’ve been waiting for this for 25 years,” says Rachel Cartwright, a whale researcher at the Keiki Kohola Project, a Maui-based nonprofit that protects humpback whale mothers and calves. “It has never been seen.”
Many female humpback whales travel to the Hawaiian Islands each year to give birth in warm, predator-free waters.
The Keiki Kohola Project deployed a research drone, not realizing they were about to capture history. National Geographic National Geographic’s new series, “Incredible Animal Journeys,” will air on November 19. National Geographic
Although scientists camp in tropical waters hoping to observe the entire birth process, none have ever seen the entire process.
However, Cartwright’s team got lucky when one of their research boats spotted a group of male humpbacks swarming on the water’s surface near a female they were hoping to mate with.
A crew member dove into the water to film the mammals and noticed a small fin poking out from the bottom of the female.
“At that point, we knew we had a possible birth,” Cartwright told National Geographic.
“We had people in the water until sunset,” he continued. “But the light had gone out and we didn’t think we were going to find anything new.”
The team deployed a research drone, not realizing they were about to capture history.
The team assumed they had collected a portion of the birth and potentially other data, until Cartwright plugged the memory card into his computer to view the images.
The extremely rare images were captured just after sunset on March 5, 2021, far from the island of Lahaina, in a popular calving safe haven. National Geographic
“What we saw in the footage is a huge explosion of blood,” says Cartwright. “And then two seconds later, we finally saw a calf.”
The divers immediately jumped back into the dark water to continue filming the newborn, a male, with low-light cameras.
The beautiful footage ends with the couple lovingly caressing each other’s heads and the baby swimming close to his mother’s head as he sets off on his new life.
Many female humpback whales travel to the Hawaiian Islands each year to give birth in warm, predator-free waters. National Geographic
In addition to providing a glimpse into a rarely seen natural wonder, the video offered scientists previously unknown information about the birth process.
The participation of several men during the birth surprised the team, which still does not fully understand the reason for their presence.
“There’s a beautiful sequence where the mom has her tail up, the little baby’s tail is sticking out and the males are hiding underneath blowing bubbles,” Cartwright said.
Humpbacks release strings of bubbles strategically, either to hunt, court, or even possibly trigger the release of feel-good hormones, such as oxytocin, as the bubbles move across a whale’s skin, according to the scientific outlet.
“There’s a bubble train and the female just swims through it, like she’s getting a little spa or a massage,” Cartwright said. “It’s really surprising to see.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn