SeaWorld San Antonio's Growing Bottlenose Dolphin Family

Neelee and Nacha

Here at SeaWorld San Antonio our dolphin family has been growing almost every year. Our breeding programs include natural breeding as well as the use of artificial insemination.  By artificially inseminating females it allows the parks to maintain genetic diversity without having to move dolphins from park to park.

The age a female dolphin becomes sexually mature can vary, but it averages 5 to 12 years. The gestation period for female bottlenose dolphins is about 12 months and when a dolphin calf is born it weighs 22 to 44 pounds and is 39 to 53 inches long.  Bottlenose dolphin calves can be born throughout the year, but our dolphins at SeaWorld San Antonio tend to calve in the summer or fall.

The calves are generally born tail first, but successful head first births have been observed.  When a calf is first born and for a few days after birth the calf's dorsal fin and tail flukes are soft and gradually stiffen. This is because these fins are curled up while in the womb to allow the calf to pass through the birth canal.

The calf will generally begin nursing within a few hours of birth.  At first the calf will only nurse for a few seconds at a time, but as it gains experience the length of time increases. They will usually nurse in brief increments of about ten seconds at a time every hour. A dolphin calf will generally nurse for about 18 months, but will start to show interest in fish at about three to four months when their teeth begin to erupt.

Mattie and her calf

A female bottlenose dolphin can have a calf about every three years, but this can vary from individual to individual. Young females will usually be placed with an experienced mother to learn about caring for a calf.  Many mother dolphins will use another dolphin as an assistant with their calf.  This dolphin is referred to as an “auntie.” At our park, female dolphins will usually give birth in our back support pools with one or more other females. Once the calf is older and beginning to eat fish we will move them to the Dolphin Cove exhibit.

At SeaWorld San Antonio we actually have a four generation dolphin family that began with Notchfin, who is now in her mid thirties.  Her daughter Nacha has had multiple calves and is a great mom. Nacha's eight-year-old daughter Nikki had her first calf almost three years ago named Nueces.

For more reading about dolphins, you can also visit our sister park, Discovery Cove's special page about their dolphin program and you can learn more about our work and commitment to animals on the SeaWorld Park blog's Caring for Animals page.