@natgeo
National GeographicIn 2023, biologist and National Geographic Explorers David Gruber and Shane Gero set out to study sperm whales off Dominica's coast as part of a @projectceti team studying sperm whale communication. What they stumbled upon was far more extraordinary—a whale in labor. For decades, whale births eluded observation. Project CETI's newly published findings provide a detailed picture not just of the birth, but of a whale family’s collaborative effort to care for the mother and infant—providing the first quantifiable evidence of an animal species other than primates engaging in assisted birth. Discover more about how sperm whale families support mothers in labor, and what it reveals about midwifery in the animal kingdom at the 🔗 in bio.
On the profile · Mar 26, 2026