Dolphin Gives Birth at Baltimore Aquarium

By Sabri Ben-Achour

Dolphin shows at Baltimore's National Aquarium have been temporarily suspended as one performer is on maternity leave.

An Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Jade gave birth to a calf Wednesday night. The newborn dolphin was about 30 pounds and 2 to 3 feet long at birth; aquarium staff haven't been able to determine the sex of the calf yet.

The staff at the aquarium say the calf appears to be healthy and has started to nurse and swim alongside Jade and another female dolphin. But even with a successful birth and an experienced mother, about a third of dolphin calves don't survive their first year of life either in the wild or in captivity, according to aquarium staff.

Jade's first calf has survived and is now three years old. The latest birth brings the aquarium's dolphin population to 11.

Listen to the complete story at wamu.org

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