The Far Out Ocean Research Collective was surprised to find a female bottlenose dolphin swimming off the coast of Paihia with a young pilot whale.
Unlike the stray whales, the young whale appeared to interact with the female bottlenose dolphin like a mother and baby, suggesting that she had been adopted. However, this interspecific interaction has a precedent.
Bottlenose dolphins often adopt young of other species, according to Far Out Ocean Research Collective researcher Jochen Zaeschmar. There are few records of adopted species. However, adopted juveniles often come from species the same size or smaller than bottlenose dolphins. There is at least one case of adoption of young pilot whales in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Zaeschmar says adopting young children doesn’t have to be altruistic. Bottlenose dolphins often steal their young, although this is more likely the result of maternal instinct. In a Facebook post, Zaeschmar’s organization announced that the mother dolphin was swimming among a pod of killer whales and pilot whales. It is perhaps there that he collects his young.
Mixed parenting behavior is not uncommon in waters off New Zealand, so it is possible that young whales will be picked up by their biological parents or an individual of the same species in the months to come. This type of adoption only lasted a few months. Because the pilot whale is so large compared to the young, it will eventually need more milk than the mother bottlenose dolphin can provide.
“Both animals are more likely to encounter pilot whales again and there is a possibility that the young whale will be reunited with its biological mother or species,” Zaeschmar said. “Pilot whales suckle their young collectively, which means that even non-breeding females have milk.”
Although this could be an accidental mistake. Pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live in harmony. Since the young whale can return to its species, the Far Out Ocean Research Collective does not need to monitor the situation. They hope to see the two animals again, but since bottlenose dolphins swim further offshore in winter, they might not appear until next spring.
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