By Pete Thomas
A photographer off Western Australia has captured an extraordinary image showing a newborn dolphin riding on mom’s back – and seemingly smiling in delight.
Mandy Wilson, who was with Rockingham Wild Encounters off Perth, snapped away as the baby bottlenose dolphin was lifted above the surface, as the pod traveled to nearby Penguin Island.
“When you’re this cute, you’ll always get away with it!” Rockingham Wild Encounters wrote on Facebook. “We love meeting the new additions in the bay and the local mums love showing them off to us!”
The dolphin is so young that you can see fetal folds on its skin. More than likely, the “mum” is simply lifting the calf for a brief look around.
Cetacean researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger explained on Facebook: “Other cetacean moms – including gray whales and humpback whales, are also known to lift up curious calves.”
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