dolphin mum sleeping upside down
What looks like a dead dolphin mum floating in the shallow parts of the Leschenault Estuary has certainly not only scared our drone pilot Rodney Peterson (@droneault) during a routine flight but also got the 2-3 year old calf worried.
It is not uncommon for dolphins to rest on the water surface, being pretty motionless for a while but usually with their blowhole upwards. This is what we call a 'cat-nap' during which the dolphin sleeps with one side of the brain resting while the other side of the brain is awake. The reason is they are conscious breathers and have to remember to breathe.
However, seeing a dolphin floating belly up for such a prolonged period of time drifting in the wind and current, not even moving when the calf is rolling over her, is something you don't see often. Our local bottlenose dolphins (tursiops aduncus) can hold their breath for minutes without worry.
It took a while before she finally jumped back into action and happily swam alongside her calf, which normally stays with mum for 3-4 years. This could have been part of a serious teaching lesson by mum or just a couple of minutes where she ignored a slightly annoying kid during which she soaked up the sun in the warm waters of the Estuary.
Never a dull moment in the City of Bunbury and the Dolphin Discovery Centre!
For more information and tour ideas, please visit our website https://dolphindiscovery.com.au/
Filmed under license from legal limit.
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