New Family Member Arrives!

The Dolphin Research Center Family is thrilled to announce the arrival of Pandora and A.J.'s calf!



The little sprite arrived early on this morning (Jan. 29, 2010) just before 1 a.m. Both mother and baby are doing great. Pandora is demonstrating calm, confident behavior. We've observed the baby nursing and strongly swimming. Even though this is her first calf, Pandora has had lots of babysitting experience and helped raise her younger sisters Calusa and Cayo. It sure looks like she's following in her mother Merina's flukeprints and will be a terrific mom.

Yesterday afternoon, Pandora began showing signs of labor with hunching and arching. We had observers at her lagoon from that point on to monitor her progress and they quickly put out the call when the baby arrived. As staff arrived to work this morning, a visit to the lagoons for a first look at the newest member of the family was everybody's priority!

The little one is a fourth-generation DRC dolphin following down the line of Great-Granddolphins Delphi and Bee. Congratulations to parents Pandora and A.J., grandparents Merina and Kibby and various other family members -- both delphinid and human.

As is the norm, it could be weeks before we are able to tell whether this is a boy or a girl and it will be even longer before he or she has a name. We'll make sure to keep you updated!

If you're in the Keys or planning a visit soon, come on in and see the new family member and all of the others in the pod!

http://dolphinresearchcenter.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-family-member-arrives.html